The Hyuuga Curse 2
by Bullwinkle's Lady
Summary: Eying the girl, Kakashi backed toward the kitchen table. He was curious as to why Hyuuga Hinata was in his apartment using powerful doujutsu to perve on Uchiha Sasuke, but decided the benefits of a hot meal outweighed the appeal of the controversy. / Light-Rewrite, SasuHina.
1. Scream My Name

**Today's Reference: **DragonBall Z abridged.

**The Hyuuga Curse 2**

by Bullwinkle's Lady

**Chapter 1**

She had always seen Naruto as the light. He was bright and she was dim. He was strong and she was weak. He was the light, _her _light, the one who would save her from the darkness. He was the one meant to save her...from herself.

Hinata hurriedly followed the other, her hand clasped in his. He had initiated the contact absentmindedly, but suddenly the touch seemed to be far beyond just _absent_. She squeezed his hand a little tighter, but he didn't seem to notice, and she smiled nonetheless.

She had never thought she could have been mistaken. Not for a second had she suspected someone else could have been the light or the darkness. That Naruto just _didn't fit_ into the happy ending.

Or the new beginning.

Sasuke abruptly stopped, causing her to walk into him. He ignored it as he slipped into a shady-looking stone building, motioning for her to follow. Gulping, Hinata complied.

It was far worse than she could have imagined! Sasuke had abducted her from her second-story bedroom window, taken her all the way across the village, and into a suspicious-looking black building only to hand her over to a creepy-looking old man. The man grinned sinisterly, revealing gleaming yellow teeth, as he leaned upon a glass counter display within which were littered–

She lost her breath and unconsciously fidgeted as she looked at Sasuke.

He glanced away. "Pick one," he said indifferently.

Rings.

It seemed she was the light within a picture where Naruto was but a fleeting diversion. She was _Sasuke's _light, and...he was hers. When she was weak, he made her stronger. And when he was ill, physically or emotionally, she was the only one who could heal him. They seemed to take turns extinguishing the darkness.

Hinata felt a blush rise to her face. "I can't," she said. "I mean – you – you should–"

He glared at her. "Pick – one."

"Okay." In an instant, was pressed to the display, eyes lit up like bright white stars. She didn't notice the odd look Sasuke was giving her.

"What do you think of this one?" Hinata asked, pointing at a random ring.

Sasuke glanced her way, not daring to step forward. "Too big," he said with distaste.

"I know," Hinata agreed.

_...if she knew then why did she ask?_

"This one?"

"Too small," said Sasuke, twitching as Hinata agreed.

In the end, Hinata chose the prettiest one, vaguely noticing that it suited Sasuke more than it did her. Ice blue diamonds, the same shade as her birthstone, formed five small petals of a blue flower, resting upon a white golden band. Secretly, she had chosen it because it reminded her of Sasuke, but she would never let that on to him, even if he was unconscious or intoxicated.

She held it up for him to examine. One of Sasuke's eyebrows raised. "I...like it," he stated, with mild surprise. Uchiha Sasuke didn't like very many things.

"Do you want to try it on?"

"...No..."

Hinata felt herself blush, embarrassed by her thoughtlessness. Sasuke seemed offended, and the couple looked pointedly away from one another as the jeweler prayed they would not cancel their expensive selection.

A small smile graced Hinata's face nonetheless. She had not thought she was getting a ring. Her marriage to Sasuke had been...quiet. So _quiet _in fact, that they had done it simply by signing the contract. And why?

"As an agreement," Sasuke had said.

As...a promise.

Because, she loved him...and he loved her. With so many obstacles rising between them, it had been a small surrender on both of their parts, though Hinata couldn't help thinking it had been inevitable, that there was no doubt they would marry, since the day they first met eyes.

Getting over Hinata's err, Sasuke stuffed his hand into his pocket, where he unearthed an enormous wad of bills, before offering them to the jeweler. "From missions," he said as Hinata stared. He had never had any need to spend much money. As an orphan, the village supported him, Naruto too.

It was as if in slow motion – like a dream to Hinata. Sasuke handing over the bills, the jewelers broad grin growing wider and creepier; the strange looks that Sasuke was giving the both of them–

"Hinata," he said, snapping her out of her reverie. Onyx eyes bored into her white ones for a moment, before they lowered to the ring clutched in her fist. Opening her hand, he took the ring and slipped it onto her finger. "I'm glad...that this makes you happy," he said, his thumb absently tracing circles around the diamond. He wasn't one to care much about material possessions, but was willing to bend his notions for particular things. Lowering Hinata's hand, he raised his gaze back at her face, noticing her half-lidded eyes and weary expression that gave the slight suggestion that she wasn't fully conscious.

Sasuke pulled her against him just as she fainted. He shrugged to the jeweler who raised his brows.

Buried against Sasuke's shirt, Hinata drifted along in dreams that had become reality. She had meant to say thank you, or even kiss him on the cheek. She wanted to tell Sasuke how much it all meant, and how surreal the whole thing was. But then the world had gone dark, and she had lost her chance, and yet her life did not change. If anything, it was a fairy tale.

Prince charming was dark, weird, and _slimy. _Have we not gone over this? He ate slugs and tortured kittens!

His expression was always apathetic; he seemed immune to being daunted, except for in battle where he turned from stoic to vicious_. _Long dark bangs hung in his eyes, his forehead bare where the Konoha hitai-ate should have been. Some called him _Uchiha, _others, a monster. What did it matter? He was all hers.

* * *

Sasuke released a grunt of pain as his back slammed to the wall of rock behind him. He lowered his eyes and raised his hands to the ones gripping the front his shirt. Deeply breathing, he tried to calculate the number of ribs he had broken, before finally lifting his gaze to glare at his attacker.

"Sorry," said Naruto, releasing him. He wrapped Sasuke's arm around his shoulders before he could slump down. "Why – didn't – you – _dodge_?" Naruto wanted to know.

Naruto was Sasuke's opposite. It was no wonder why they could never cancel each other out.

Someone fell from the sky and landed before them into a crouched position. Sakura rose, smiling, for she knew that if either of her teammates had attempted to jump from that fifty-foot cliff's edge, they would have likely broken both legs. She pulled her hand through her dull pink hair.

"I was distracted," said Sasuke, to the shock of both his teammates. They had never before heard him admit to such a thing.

"You didn't have to use rasengan," Sakura groused, directing her attention to Naruto, and viciously shoving him into the wall. She then began to heal Sasuke, and the way she held her palms out reminded Sasuke of Hinata's jyuuken style, and he…wanted to hit himself. He saw the quirk of Sakura's lips; her knowing eyes. "Sasuke-kun, you really have to pull it together. We need you for this next mission. The Mizukage is having a big birthday bash, and–"

"I decline."

* * *

"_What?"_ snapped Tsunade.

"I decline," said Hinata, recoiling from the Hokage's glare

"The Kazekage said he had been impressed with your composure in Suna. You held your own and impressed our international peers. _Kakashi_ said you've shown excellent skills in strategy and discretion, and he himself nominated you for this advancement. Even Naruto said you blew someone's brains out of their ear during your last mission."

That was an exaggeration. "I can't – I just–" There were too many things happening to her at once, making her heart pound to the point that she felt woozy.

"Hyuuga…"

"Thank you Hokage-sama, but I can't accept this promotion." Hinata quickly began to walk off, but Tsunade's next words stopped her in her tracks.

"Is this about the Uchiha?" As Tsunade watched Hinata stiffen, a wicked smile crossed her face as she realized the authenticity of the rumors about them being together. Tsunade waited to see if Hinata would respond, but she did not. "You cannot refuse this," she continued, even though technically she _could_. "You have been advanced to the rank of jounin."

Hinata's shoulders sagged. "Okay," she said, then continued to walk.

"You should celebrate," Tsunade called after her. The door closed, and she fingered a sake bottle in her desk drawer._ I know __I will._

Hinata walked down the stairs of the Hokage tower, absently fingering the necklace hidden under her top. She had been expecting a mission, or even a scolding, _not _a promotion. She had nearly died during her last mission, and could not imagine it warranted a reward.

Hinata continued to finger the ring hanging from the chain around her neck. Her thoughts drifted to Sasuke as they had consistently over the past few days_. _She practically floated through her house when she got home, not noticing how Hanabi eyed the dreamy look on her face.

When she got to her bedroom, she locked the door, dropped to her back, and looked at the ceiling. She could see the beginnings of sunset through the window.

Reaching for her collar, Hinata untucked the ring, and absently rolled it between her thumb and pointer finger. She remained like that for hours, until she took notice of the darkness that had encompassed the room. She hadn't seen Sasuke at all that day, and entertained the concept of going to see him, but then brushed it off. She had heard that team seven had been offered an important mission in Kirigakure. He was probably far away somewhere, with her being the last thing on his mind.

Hinata didn't know why she got up despite it, twisting the latch on her window, then sliding it open.

She wandered through the village, in darkness, noting the closed shops and vacant roads. There were not many people about at that time of night, just the occasional shinobi returning late from a mission, and a squadron or two going off on one. She was barely conscious of where her feet were carrying her, but wasn't surprised when she saw her destination.

_What if this could work out? _Hinata wondered.

Soon Sasuke would be lifted from his probation, and _she_ would turn eighteen, then they could be husband and wife for real. Maybe they would have a wedding – her heart fluttered at the concept. They could live together, eat together, share quick goodbye kisses before going off on assignments…

_Maybe not too quick._ Maybe longer, more intimate kisses. And maybe they would do…other things than kissing. Hinata blushed as she stared at the door to Kakashi's apartment.

Part of Sasuke's punishment for defecting was to be under the constant supervision of several approved shinobi, Kakashi being one of them, and herself, another. It was odd, because the Hokage had never bothered to really _enforce _this rule. Sasuke disregarded them with great care, mentioning that his "supervisors" could not prevent him from killing them.

Not that he intended to, he would add at seeing her blanch.

Hinata smiled to herself and just as she turned to leave, she heard the door swing open. She turned to it in surprise.

"I sensed your chakra," he said.

Sasuke must have been a late sleeper, because he had clearly just gotten out of the shower, and was dressed in only a towel.

Hinata found herself taking an unconscious step backwards, though she could not determine why. He was her husband, after all. She stared at his moist hair, his muscled chest, and his skin, gleaming with droplets of water that slid lower...and lower...

She scratched her cheek, pretending that she was not been reliving the experience of his body against hers, his warm breath, tickling her ear and his lips, against her neck, her shoulder, her breasts…

"Hinata."

She jumped at the sound of his voice, and Sasuke's arms instinctively shot out to steady her, causing his towel to slip down a notch, and exposing some dark hair on his lower abdomen.

Hinata's face colored, her eyes glued to the spot. _Why am I staring? _she wondered, as she stared. When Sasuke followed her gaze, he looked uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry!" Hinata said, covering her eyes while squeezing them shut. She didn't know how or why, but she began to babble, "Maybe we can, ano, maybe – let's-"

She was thankful when Sasuke kissed her, probably just to shut her up. She stood on her toes and leaned upon him to deepen the contact, and felt Sasuke smirk against her lips. "Pervert," he muttered, as he kissed her some more, guiding her into the apartment, and closing the door. "Kakashi's still…away…on mission." Gentle kisses that were getting deeper and dirtier.

They'd had sex before, well, once, and had been awfully polite towards each other ever since. Hinata couldn't remember the last time she had kissed Sasuke that much. When the two stumbled to his bedroom, they paused and untangled their limbs.

As they wondered who would be the first to casually drop their pants (or towel), or who would burst into tears and scurry off in nervousness, Sasuke made an abysmal strategic maneuver in mentioning–

"I want you to strip."

Hinata opened and closed her mouth.

Sasuke attempted a smile, but it turned out being a leer. He wasn't very good at smiling. "It's only fair."

_Fair? _Hinata felt a mixture of shock, horror, and mortification.

"You're always staring..." he raised his arms slightly, reminding her that he was naked. "...at my body."

Her eyes on the floor and her face red, Hinata threw him an angry look, but it turned out becoming another stare. _That isn't my fault, _she thought. She had never found herself so – interested – in the human body as she was in Sasuke's. _His _just happened to be…very nice.

"I'll go first," Sasuke offered, opening his towel.

With a shriek, Hinata covered her face and turned away – but not before getting an eyeful.

There was subtle amusement in Sasuke's voice. "Hinata, this thing was _inside _of you. Don't you want to know what it looks like?"

He was right. She was being childish.

Hinata slowly opened her fingers, and peeked through them to look at Sasuke's – at _her husband's–_

"It's – very – nice," Hinata said, lowering her hands and trying not to stutter.

"Thanks," Sasuke responded, his smirk widening to reveal teeth.

Hinata took a few breaths of air. "What's that?" she managed, raising a violently shaking finger to point at his groin.

"It's my penis."

"No!" Hinata said more forcefully than she had intended. She lifted her gaze to Sasuke's face to see that he was still amused. He was _teasing _her. Hinata pointed again. "That – there."

"A kunai scar," Sasuke replied, as he tied the towel back around his waist. "A narrow miss, ne?"

_Un, _Hinata thought. In fact, if it had _not_ missed, they would be having an entirely different conversation. She put her hand on her chest as her heart raced the way it always did when they were together. She noticed that Sasuke was closely watching her, the way a wolf might gaze upon a sheep.

"Your turn," he said.

Hinata froze. Opened her mouth. Closed her mouth. Raised her finger. And then she bolted.

Sasuke materialized in front of the door, blocking her exit. Hinata backed away from him until she felt the backs of her knees connect with his bed. She winced as she fell backwards onto the mattress.

"You're still so shy," he mused as he climbed over her. Eyes half-lidded, she allowed Sasuke to unzip her pullover and slide it off her shoulders. There was no resistance, just a weak gasp as he slid her undershirt up her torso.

"Help," he urged her, kissing her temple.

She weakly nodded and pulled the shirt over her head, feeling Sasuke watching as she did so. His hands slipped down to unbutton her pants. "Just admit it." He sounded somewhat breathless. "You wanted _me _to undress you."

"Yes," Hinata responded, as he began to slide off her pants. "You're right."

* * *

She wearily stared up at the ceiling, loosely holding the sheets against her chest.

She closed her eyes when Sasuke's breath tickled her neck, as he muttered softly against her jaw, "Are you all right?"

A mellow smile crossed Hinata's face. She was _more_ than all right, but feared that if she voiced it, the words would come out high and funny.

Sasuke pulled back. "Good," he muttered. "Now we can start getting serious."

Hinata didn't know what that meant, but decided she didn't want to ask. She shifted over to mumble against his shoulder, "Sasuke," She felt heat rise to her cheeks, "how...am I?"

She had achieved her desired effect. Sasuke was embarrassed. He turned away so that his back was facing her. Hinata absently admired the muscles there as her husband muttered, "Loud."

She blinked.

"You're very quiet during the day time – but during sex, you seem to get very–"

"Un," Hinata squeaked, her face reddening. "Sorry-"

"Don't apologize," he said, curling up and pulling the sheets over his head. "I love it when you scream my name."

As history would suggest, Sasuke was a bit of an avenger.

Hinata's fingers twitched. "I became a jounin today," she said, wondering if Sasuke would be upset now that _she_ outranked _him_. She was attempting to change the subject, to keep him awake, and not let him have the last word. She was growing weary of his unshakable composure. _Why doesn't he blush – and scream during... _Her blush intensified.

"Good," he said, his voice muffled. "Bring the uniform next time."

Her face felt so hot, there was a slight chance her hair would catch fire. Hinata stared at the lump of covers that was Uchiha Sasuke for a moment, listening as his breathing became snores, and then she…scrambled out of his bed and began to gather up her clothing.

When Sasuke awoke all alone the next morning, he felt shocked, betrayed, hurt, and...rather used. Quickly getting over the trauma, he climbed out of bed (naked), and searched the kitchen for food (naked). _Marriage is...okay, _he mused.

When Kakashi entered the apartment, his week-long mission having been cut short, he decided not to inquire, as he gave Sasuke a nod and asked him to pass the cereal.


	2. Love Bites

**Author's Note: Lawwl at your reviews. :P  
**

Anyway, I get the occasional anonymous person who complains about Sasuke's characterization. I think my characterizations in this series have been more consistent with Naruto part 1 than part 2, which is understandable, since I wrote this before part 2 came out in the anime. In part 2 of Naruto, I don't think the characterizations changed very much, except for Sasuke, who became more stoical.

A lot of Sasuke's character in this story (and the prequel) is revealed through **introspection. **So it's hard to argue that he's being out-of-character, if he's being outwardly indifferent, just as he is in the anime.

And it's not as though I haven't written Sasuke in more serious ways, such as in "Having Edge," "Seer & Snatcher," "Faux," etc. "The Chaos Theory" is the perfect example of my two different ways of characterizing Sasuke in my stories. Personally, I like characterizing him both ways.

Sasuke does get more mature as this story progresses, as do all the characters, I suppose.

**Today's Reference: **My story "Ultimatum" also has a chapter called "Love Bites." Though this one was written first.

**The Hyuuga Curse 2**

by Bullwinkle's Lady

**Chapter 2**

Before Hinata awoke that morning, someone grabbed one of her pillows and aggressively tried to smother her. Struggling for freedom, she realized she must have overslept again.

"I didn't sleep well last night," she explained in apology a few minutes after escaping death by suffocation. She rubbed her tousled hair. No, she had not gotten much sleep at all.

At thirteen, Hanabi was really playful.

–Hinata fell flat on her face after her sister tripped her on the way down the corridor. She clutched her nose, fearing it was broken.

Really, she was! Playful, and mischievous, and...aggressive.

When they reached the kitchen, Hinata prepared her sister a bagged lunch as she listened to her rant about how much she despisedher new jounin sensei.

Hinata wasn't really paying attention, her mind occupied with the sour face Sasuke unconsciously made when she bit her fingernails in front of him. When Hinata felt someone grab her wrist, she turned to narrowed white eyes, and then back down to notice Hanabi had narrowly prevented her from severing her finger with a cleaver.

"Try aiming for the meat," Hanabi said. "Why are you daydreaming?"

"I-it's nothing," said Hinata, as she went back to slicing – rather unevenly.

* * *

It had become a normal sight to see Sasuke waiting by the Hyuuga gates in the morning with his usual air of indifference. It was also quite common to see him walking with Hinata, and sometimes their arms would brush, or their hands touch. He would mutter something, and she would smile to herself, and it almost seemed slightly…_intimate_.

But no one made anything of it. They went to the training grounds together, sometimes sharing an apple, or bickering in that odd way of theirs. They would leave hours later dirty, sweaty, and panting. So they were training together. No one made anything of it.

* * *

In a tangle of movements, Sasuke and Hinata sparred in their usual forest clearing...though it wasn't so much sparring than it was Sasuke dodging Hinata's attacks. He wasn't putting much spirit into the fight, as he seemed thoroughly occupied with other things...like her.

Hinata frowned to herself. Sasuke probably wasn't the best training partner for her anymore. He didn't seem at all interested in fighting her, just in doing…other things. She needed to wake him up – remind him that just because she was his wife now didn't mean she wasn't still a kunoichi.

She moved a little faster, her strikes harder, but Sasuke was unfazed. He simply evaded them, easily twisting her attacks away.

As Hinata thrust both of her arms outward in her impatience, Sasuke grabbed her hands and pressed them together.

White eyes grew wide as veins ruptured in both her palms. Blood seeped under her skin from the internal injuries.

Pulling her hands to her, she bit her lip to keep the pained noise from escaping her throat. She looked down at her hands as ecchymotic areas blossomed with purple bruises. She backed away from Sasuke, taking retreat in the surrounding foliage.

"Are you all right?" he called indifferently. "Hinata?"

"Un," she said, resting her head against the tree behind her. _Why am I always the weak one? _she wondered, as she recalled the events of the previous night. Suddenly overcome with irritation, Hinata came out from behind the tree and charged at him.

_This is new... _Sasuke mused, as he watched.

There was a split second in which Hinata saw Sasuke, and then...falling leaves...the soft grass a transparent blue. She didn't know how, but suddenly her back was pressed to his chest, the blade of his sword caressing her throat.

"You're distracted," he said.

It was ironic that he would accuse her of this, because he was more distracted than she was. "I thought we weren't using weapons," said Hinata, squirming.

He idly ran the sword across her jugular, but it didn't cut into her skin. It was the dull side of the blade. "I never agreed to that."

He had an unfair advantage to her short-range attacks. "I don't carry anything."

"Maybe it's time you start."

Why were they back to quarreling? Veins rose on her temples.

"You're getting impatient," Sasuke mentioned. "I like this side of you." He leaned down to kiss her temple, seeming to magically smooth out the veins. "It's new."

And then he threw her to the ground. Fingers twitching, Hinata spat some blades of grass before she climbed up, vowing to get him back.

"Despite your new...attitude-"

Had he always been so condescending?_ I've always been this way. _She thought. _What are you __**talking**__ about? Teme._

She gasped and covered her mouth as though she had said it aloud.

"–I'm not seeing much of your development in this training session," Sasuke continued, not seeming to take notice of her inner identity crisis. "It's disappointing." Despite Sasuke's dry tone, she could tell he was taunting her.

Hinata lowered her hand from her mouth. Sasuke was right in suggesting her anger was leeching on her focus. She wondered if this wasn't all just about the night before, when he had teased her about her…volume. Blushing and trying to brush these thoughts aside, Hinata closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then leapt up into a tree branch high above the clearing. She darted through the trees, circling until she found an appropriate hiding spot.

Sasuke froze for moment, then spread his legs, sinking his bare feet into the wet earth. It was Hinata's game, but he was going to win.

He heard a brief rustling, and glanced up to spot a bulky piece of clothing drop to the ground. Hinata's jacket. It seemed she had the same thing in mind as him. Sasuke pulled off his shirt and tossed it to the ground beside him. He couldn't afford to hear the rustling of his own clothes if he wanted to locate her. With that, he closed his eyes and fell into a fighting stance, his body still.

High above him, Hinata lowered her eyebrows. She was dressed in black pants that she had rolled up to her knees. Having discarded her jacket, she wore a black tank top used mostly as an undershirt. But she wasn't concerned about modesty around Sasuke anymore. He had seen her in far less.

Sasuke hadn't bothered to activate his sharingan. She wondered if he found her so conspicuous that there was no worth in the technique. Maybe he was he simply testing his sensory skills. She observed his stance curiously. It was something not meant to protect his own vitals, but to catch weapons and take the offense. As usual, Sasuke cared more of winning than his own health. But then, that was _him._

She tried to get a glimpse of his eyes, activating the byakugan if only to look beyond his long bangs. There were shadows there. Sasuke was tired. She wondered whether he was sleeping well, as she recalled what Sakura had once told her about Sasuke's tendencies. _I'm his wife now, _Hinata thought. _It's my job to take care of him._

She rubbed her nose, not knowing that it had turned pink. As her eyes began to tear, she realized she must have been allergic to a plant nearby.

Her black hair hung down her back, embellished with a few twigs and leaves from training. She pulled some strands of it out of her face and made preparations to move to a different spot, when she frowned, stiffened, and sneezed.

It took a matter of a mili-second for Sasuke to pitch a kunai in her direction. She froze to watch the weapon miss her left shoulder by centimeters, slamming into the tree behind her, where it cut a beetle in half.

Hinata knew it had been a warning shot, and his second would not be as lenient. Not having the time to strategize or think, she launched herself at him, and Sasuke wasn't prepared either.

When they crashed to the ground on top of each other, their foreheads collided, causing two pairs of bland eyes to go momentarily cross. Sasuke seemed to recover first, as he snapped them shut and held his skull.

"Nnn..." Hinata groaned, but he caught her waist with his free hand, securing her against him. A weary smile crossed her face. "I win," she whispered.

Sasuke opened his eyes to peer up at her. "You win," he agreed.

It was at that moment that Hinata realized she _had not _won, at least not on her own. Inner Hinata kicked her, hard, in the shin. _He _let_ me take him down._

"Nice job," said Sasuke, tracing her spine with his fingers.

She only smiled because it tickled, so she hid her face in Sasuke's neck…which only seemed to please him more. Wet blades of grass tickled her ankles and something hard was jabbing her thigh. Positive that any sign of a smile had disappeared by then, Hinata raised her face and met his eyes. "It's the middle of the afternoon," she said, blushing, but Sasuke only touched her more. "We should be–" she inhaled. "T-training."

"This _is _training."

She wearily watched him, enjoying the way his dark bangs fell in his eyes. She tried to get up, but he held her down.

"Hinata," he breathed. "I – really – need you right now."

Her face burned. "There are people t-training all around these woods."

"Then you'll have to keep it down," Sasuke advised her, worsening her embarrassment.

_We're not getting much work done,_ Hinata noted. _But...maybe I could be __**seme **__this time. _She blushed madly.

She was _already_ on top.

"After this," Hinata managed. "Can we do something together – besides sex?"

"After," Sasuke agreed.

* * *

His head bowed beneath the showerhead, Sasuke wondered what had gotten into Hinata that day in the forest. He hadn't known the timid Hyuuga was capable of becoming so...rough during sex. She had even left him with a few minor injuries...not that he was complaining.

In the kitchen, Hinata stared sadly down into a pot of boiling rice. Cooking Sasuke dinner had not been her idea of spending time with him. She pulled a few strands of hair behind her ear, still moist from using the shower. Looking up with a sigh, she glanced in the general direction of the bathroom. _Behind these cupboards...through the living room...passed the door... _Sasuke had been in the shower for a while. Hinata nipped her bottom lip, hoping she hadn't hurt him. _I wonder... _It was only rational to check up on him. Veins formed at the sides of her eyes.

_Was it even worth it? I didn't even make him blush...or scream..._

It seemed Sasuke was fine, just finishing up. Absently resting her elbows onto the counter, Hinata continued to stare. Sasuke had a really nice...

"For the love of Jashin, what are you doing!?"

She jumped, and deactivated the byakugan, wondering how she had failed to notice Kakashi enter the room. Blushing violet, Hinata mumbled something about cabbage as she returned to the pot on the stove. _Please don't tell Sasuke._ He would never let her live it down.

Eying the girl, Kakashi backed toward the kitchen table. He was curious as to why Hyuuga Hinata was in his apartment, using powerful doujutsu to perve on Sasuke, but decided the benefits of a hot meal outweighed the appeal of the controversy.

Sasuke entered the kitchen a few minutes later, muttering something about feeling paranoid. He sat down at the table, and the three shared the meal in silence, Hinata blushing at her lap as she picked at her plate, and Kakashi sneaking bits of food beneath his mask when no one was looking. Sasuke also ate in silence, absently gazing at Hinata, and unconsciously rubbing the side of his neck, where there seemed to be a...well...erm...

It was then that Kakashi actually took the time to look the boy over. "Sasuke..." he paused. "What's that on your neck?"

* * *

They were back together, and they were...getting along fine, apparently. Kakashi watched Sasuke drag Hinata out of the kitchen, undoubtedly to confront her about the hickeys she had left all over his perfect skin.

_He hadn't even noticed._

"Be gentle with him," Kakashi called after the pair.

When the door slammed shut behind them, the scarecrow whistled to himself as he shoveled their food onto his plate.

* * *

Hinata coughed as she headed off to the training grounds with Kiba and Shino that evening. She had finally managed to make Sasuke blush...and scream quite a lot...

* * *

Bite marks. Everyone was looking at him – staring. Staring at the bruises on his neck, by his ear – his collar – eugh. It looked as though he had been molested by Chouji in a broom closet.

As Sakura offered him an odd look, awkwardly patting his back, Naruto gave him an evil grin while mouthing the word, "uke." Neither of them wanted to know what had happened, though they took to suspiciously eying Chouji who sat on the other side of the ramen bar.

As the three members of team eight walked by the scene, Kiba spat a few snide remarks over his shoulder, ones that caused even Naruto to gag. Sasuke refrained from responding, for he feared that it would involve some sort of sex-crazed murder-spree. He instead took to glaring at the blushing Hyuuga who didn't have enough courage to look at anything but her sandals.

The corner of her mouth twitched, and he knew she was enjoying his torment.

He had always taken particular care never to mark her. Not to bruise her with his lips, not to lose himself in his excitement – not to..._claim _her in such a way.

She had been embarrassed. She had apologized repetitively.

He and Hinata had long decided to act platonic in public – as though they _weren't _spouses, but training partners. It was all for the better, because people seemed keen to tear them apart.

As if on cue, Ino appeared, flinging his arms around her neck. Hinata froze, and Sasuke scowled as Ino's body pressed against his. He struggled not to choke on the scents of several perfumes. "Sasuke-kun, what _happened_ to you!?" Ino cried.

What would have given most men a nosebleed simply caused Sasuke to develop a twitch. He glanced at Naruto and Sakura, both who suddenly seemed very interested in their ramen bowls. He winced as Ino's fingers grazed the bruises on his neck.

"I'll heal you," she offered.

Sasuke caught her hand. "Don't."

This seemed to pique everyone's interest, and they were all thinking the same thing. _Why not? _Sasuke did not know himself. He didn't particularly need his rabid girlfr- _wife's_ – bite marks all over his neck, but the concept of allowing Ino to erase them just felt…wrong.

Sasuke glanced again at Naruto, who had begun to smirk into his bowl...then again, perhaps Sasuke was over-analyzing things. It could, very well, simply be Naruto smirking at a bowl of ramen. And since when did he care what the dobe thought of him? Sasuke glared around the small stand. Though everyone seemed to know exactly what was going on, they all feigned peaceful ignorance. He looked at Hinata, who was blatantly staring at him, like he was her property or something, and it was as offensive as it was arousing.

_We're being surrounded, _Sasuke noticed with annoyance, as random people attempted to press into the tiny stand with vague orders for "whatever."

Ino gathered her composure, seeming suddenly unfazed by his refusal. Sasuke remembered to release her wrist, but she only seemed to get closer, and he struggled not to vomit from the scents of vanilla mixed with grapefruit and lavender.

Finally pulling away from him, Ino tapped her chin and pretended to speculate. Like most blondes, Ino was quick to target the next closest attractive blonde. "It was _Naruto, _wasn't it!" she screeched as loudly as possible. Many nin passing the stand found themselves glancing their way.

Naruto paled, and bared his teeth at Ino. For a moment, the two engaged in a fierce glaring contest...Naruto lost.

"Un," said Sasuke exasperatedly, hoping it would satisfy her. "It was...Naruto."

Many people gaped at them, mouths moving wordlessly. A few others developed colossal nosebleeds. Some simply shook their heads, for they weren't too surprised. Nope, not surprised at all.

Naruto turned a nasty shade of green. "TEME!" his hissed, his trademark husky voice sounding far too sexual not to be suspicious. When Ino's fist collided with his nose, the ramen-addicted shinobi disappeared in a poof of smoke.

_It was a clone? _patrons thought in bafflement. _He sends out shadow clones to eat ramen for him!?_

"Sasuke..."

Sasuke looked back at Ino, who took to hugging his arm to her chest. She leaned closer to him, her breath stroking his ear. Just before Sasuke could jerk his limb away from her, someone lightly tapped his opposite shoulder. He threw a glance at the person seated on the other side of him, and as he did, Hinata grabbed his shirt, leaned over, and kissed him.

His eyes widened in surprise, but then lowered unbidden by him, as he was intoxicated, and what had been a sweet, chaste kiss, became a prolonged and sexual one. When they finally pulled apart and stared at one another, the crowd, in turn, stared at them, in a potent, eerie silence that didn't seem to have an end.

At that moment, no one had any doubt about who was responsible for the bite marks on his neck.


	3. Kakashi Smother

**Author's Note:** Okay, so I finally learned how to use tumblr. It's linked at the top of my bio. I guess I'll just use it to post scenes and drabbles and stuff. :D

All the Bulma/Vegeta stuff in the new DragonBall Z movie was just so hilarious and adorable. I highly recommend it.

The second part of this chapter is kind of just goofiness. Sasuke and Hinata sort of remind me of Harry Potter and Cho Chang in book five. By the way, thank you for the sweet, sweet reviews. I have loads of school work, but your comments really cheered me up. :)

**Today's Reference: **Pulp Fiction?

**The Hyuuga Curse 2**

by Bullwinkle's Lady

**Chapter 3**

Holding an oil lamp in front of him, Hyuuga Hiashi entered one of the few locked rooms in the Hyuuga compound. The basement was rarely used and had no electricity.

With the assistance of his lamp's flickering fire light, he spotted a few old shelves, upon them, rows of books and stacks of dusty scrolls.

A small wooden table sat in the center of the room, upon which Hiashi gently placed the lamp. Though everything else was dark, he easily crossed the room to the smallest shelf, retrieving a large black book, its width nearly matching its height.

Returning to the table, Hiashi peered down at the book. The cover was blank as was the back, and within it was a simple list.

He opened the cover.

A list of names, each beginning with Hyuuga. _Hyuuga Kikai, Hyuuga Hikari_ – Hiashi's own name. The list of clan heirs went on and on until it reached the last name on the latest page, the most recent heir: _Hyuuga Hinata_.

Hiashi nodded to himself. Hinata's eighteenth birthday was approaching, meaning she would be allowed to inherit the clan.

Turning to a page towards the center of the book, Hiashi was surprised to find the wrong name at the end of the list:

_Hyuuga Hanabi._

* * *

"You should not have done that," said Sasuke.

_I know._

"Everyone will know."

_Please stop._

"Including your father, your elders…"

Maybe if he thought she was dead, he would go away. She attempted to fuse with the mattress as she pulled her blanket up over her head.

"You snore Hinata. I know you're awake."

"_No I don't," _she said, her voice muffled in her pillow. "Go away." She sniffled as though everything was his fault.

Hinata stiffened when the blankets were torn off her. She was roughly turned over, to stare up into Sasuke apathetic eyes.

"You were crying?" The faintest touch of concern breached his voice.

And then he swallowed it down.

"You're being a child," he said coldly.

Hinata searched for a retort. "You – you're–" She gasped when he grabbed her ankles and pulled her to the edge of the bed, before putting one of her legs on his shoulder to free up his hand. It was a position she was not familiar with, not that she was familiar with very many sex positions. Sasuke's hand slid up her inner thigh, and it could not have been up to any good. She felt her face redden and redden.

"You're really beautiful..." he muttered, only worsening matters, "when you show some nerve."

She squeezed her eyes shut, inhaling as his hand made a last-minute detour, instead sliding the hem of her nightdress up her hip. "Flawless," he muttered, as Hinata tried to breathe.

"Ano..."

"The Hyuuga are known skeptics. They'll probably just dismiss it as gossip."

She gave Sasuke a feeble glare, as if to say, _I'm one of them. _But at his impassive stare, she remembered…

_I'm not a Hyuuga anymore._

She somehow maneuvered out of his grasp, pushing past him, but losing her nightgown in process. She was left in just a pair of panties as she backed into the wall, though she couldn't help staring as Sasuke pulled his shirt off. Her eyes trailed over his muscled torso and she unconsciously swallowed, trying to figure out how he could tell what her body wanted before her mind was even aware of it.

She inhaled as he closed in on her, wrapping his arms around her waist to draw her closer. She dispassionately mumbled a protest, "We can't do this here anymore...what if someone…what if someone catches – uhh…" then groaned as he kissed her under her jaw.

"You started this," Sasuke accused, referring to their kiss at the ramen stand. A single kiss that had affected him beyond her comprehension.

"You're…weird."

He released an exhalation, like a laugh, maybe something that might slip when Naruto did something especially ridiculous. But then he was back to his torturous kisses, and Hinata's eyes rolled upward, though they were just getting started.

Sasuke removed one of his arms from her waist to unbutton his pants. He began to slide it down from his erection, but then paused at hearing a knock on the bedroom door. The two froze, and glanced towards it.

* * *

Ino was out for blood.

"Ino – stop it – try to think this through!" said Sakura, hurrying after her fellow medic and occasional friend.

Ino wouldn't hear any of it. She stormed right through the gates of the Hyuuga compound, stomped onto the veranda, and pounded on the front door.

Inside, Hyuuga Neji walked by the door, glaring at it as someone knocked. He had recently returned from his first ANBU mission, and wasn't interested in anything that didn't entail sleep. But the pounding persisted; it was going to wake everyone up if it was allowed to go on. Neji reluctantly opened the door, and was presented with Konoha's two most annoying kunoichi. "What do you want?"

The blonde seemed about to yell something, but Sakura elbowed her in the ribs, and took over the talking. "Ino just wants to speak to Hinata," she said pacifically.

Ten...twenty...thirty seconds of silence.

"I'll take you to her room." Neji knew he was probably wearing an odd look, but couldn't help reading into air of hostility surrounding the crazy blonde girl. He secretly smirked as he led the kunoichi upstairs in anticipation of a brutal cat-fight.

* * *

Two sharp knocks. "Hinata-_sama_," Neji called in that ghastly voice of his.

_Nii-san. _Hinata turned to Sasuke with wide, fearful eyes, then did the only thing that she could think to do at the pushed Sasuke into the closet.

And then she followed him inside.

As the two listened to the sound of the bedroom door swinging open, Hinata took inventory of her surroundings. It was very dark. And tight. So tight that the only way she and Sasuke could stand was pressed against each other's bodies. She held onto his torso for balance, keeping silent as she listened to the sound of Neji walking about her bedroom.

Hinata deeply inhaled as she felt Sasuke hand slide to her waist. "Sasuke," she mumbled. "You're squeezing them."

"Squeezing what?"

"My…"

"Hn." Sasuke figured it out. He pushed himself against a massive rack of shoes, none of which he had ever seen her wear. "Better?"

"Un."

"Turn around."

Hinata obliged, so her back was pressed to Sasuke's chest. She could only imagine what Neji would think if he opened the door, seeing them in their states of undress.

Sasuke wrapped his arms around her, then unexpectedly cupped her breasts.

"Ano…" she deeply blushed. "Sasu…?" She pleaded for him to stop fondling her, breathing a sigh of relief when his hands slid down to her stomach. He wanted to explore every part of her, but she was still getting used to being so exposed to any one person.

Hinata placed her hands on top of his as she remembered what had transpired on their way home from Suna. She sheepishly smiled as she whispered, "Someday, do you want to–?"

"I think he's gone," Sasuke cut her off, and it was just _too _convenient. Frowning, Hinata twisted to face him again, reaching past him for the doorknob – before he was ready, apparently.

* * *

When the two jounin and the ANBU rookie entered the room, they were surprised to find it was empty.

"It seems she is out," Neji said, stumped by this development. It was the middle of the night… Maybe she was out training with her teammates. He looked around the room.

The lights were still on, the bed was unmade, the window was open, and pieces of clothing littered the floor.

"She's a bit of a slob," Ino mentioned, a little smug at this. Neji and Sakura silently agreed. "Do you mind if we wait for her?" Ino grabbed Neji's bicep, batting her eyelashes madly.

Neji snatched his arm away, the way Sasuke _should have _earlier that evening. "Do as you please," he said, and sauntered off.

Ino sighed and turned to Sakura. "Let's go through her stuff, and–" She was interrupted when something unexpected happened.

The closet door swung open, and Uchiha Sasuke – the Uchiha survivor, the avenger, Orochimaru's right and Itachi's exception – fell out of it and onto the ground with a small "oof." Sprawled on his back, he was clothed only in a pair of slacks. Lips parted and chest heaving, he slid his hand up his side, probably to nurse a small ache there. He then released a pained grunt, thus complementing the most sexual image Sakura and Ino had ever seen in their short, pathetic lives.

Still cupping his bruised ribs, Sasuke stared blankly up at the two girls.

A million thoughts were running through Ino's mind. Bite marks. _Erections. _Half-naked Uchiha's falling out of people's closets! _What kind of depraved shit is going on here?_ She wondered. _And how do I get in on it!?_ She looked out the door in the direction Neji had gone, wondering if all Hyuugas were this kinky. Did Sasuke live in Hinata's closet, on call for despicable deeds at every moment of every day? Ino fantasized about having a gimp of her own…

Sakura gasped, and Ino quickly turned back.

Hyuuga Hinata – _wearing only her underwear_ – fell onto Sasuke, erecting another grunt from his lips. Sakura and Ino were far too shocked to register where she had come from, let alone that she had tripped on a sandal and lost her balance. With her breasts against his chest, her body pressed snugly to his, Hinata slowly looked up at the girls standing over them, her cheeks turning red.

Sakura and Ino watched as Sasuke curled his arm around Hinata's waist, almost – protectively, his annoyed stare never breaking from theirs. _"What?"_ he snapped, as though there wasn't anything unusual about the scene.

"We should go." Sakura grabbed Ino's arm and dragged her out the door, despite the other girl's struggles for release. When they were safely outside in the corridor, Sakura let go of Ino, and the two stared at each other.

"I am so horny right now."

"Let's go find Lee and Chouji."

* * *

Sprawled on the ground on top of each other, Sasuke and Hinata listened to the sounds of Sakura and Ino hurrying down the stairs, panting like dehydrated canines. Feeling mortified, Hinata buried her face in Sasuke's neck, as he sighed and gazed at the ceiling. He found his hand absently passing up and down her back. "I know this is my fault," he said tersely. "I should not have let Ino..." He trailed off, and Hinata remained silent. "But I'm glad it happened," he said.

Despite the complications it would be sure to yield, he was glad Konoha had seen him and Hinata kiss at the ramen stand. Sasuke waited to see whether Hinata would acknowledge his words, but received nothing.

"Sorry."

Still no response.

"You trust your husband, don't you?"

A few more moments passed before Sasuke felt Hinata move slightly. Her right arm had risen for her fingers to brush against the small bruise blossoming on his side where his body had hit the ground earlier. Sasuke's breath hitched in his chest as she taunted him with her strokes. She began to kiss his throat, causing his eyes to roll upwards, her feather-light strokes making his abs clench and relax.

He would never admit it, but she wasn't bad when she was on top.

Hinata raised her face, and Sasuke was surprised to find a smile there. "That's...really...sweet," she said, leaning down to lightly press her lips against his. When the kiss broke, she released an awkward laugh, but as Sasuke pulled her back down for a longer, deeper kiss, her humor faded. "Sasu…" she mumbled, feeling hot and tingly. "I…I need…"

"Okay," he muttered, as they continued to kiss. She tugged down on the front of his pants, and he felt almost painfully aroused. Sasuke dug into his right pocket with his free hand, only to come up – empty.

He tensed, and she pulled back in confusion.

"Hinata, I don't have any..."

"Oh...ano..."

"Then, we can't. I – can't."

Sasuke began to get up, leaving Hinata to blink as she climbed off him.

**Part 2**

A few days later, Sasuke was sprawled on the couch in Kakashi's living room, glaring up at the ceiling. How he hated the small apartment. He hated the dull gray carpeting in each of the rooms, he hated the peeling beige paint on the living room walls; he _despised_ Kakashi's old-man smell.

Furiously taking a bit out of a tomato, the Uchiha continued to angst up at the ceiling, occasionally forgetting to chew, when the front door creaked open. Sasuke turned his gaze towards it to see Hatake Kakashi himself slowly trudge inside, before pausing, grunting, and lastly keeling over dead in the middle of the living room floor.

Sasuke's mind went blank as he stared at the prone form. Stuffing his tomato into his pocket, he climbed to his feet. _Now's my chance,_ Sasuke thought, with all intent of stripping the man of his mask, but a sudden gasp stopped him in his tracks. He turned back to the door to see that Hinata had come by, a devastated look in on her face. And the finishing touch–

_"What did you do to him!?"_

* * *

Sasuke was glumly lurking in a corner. "I didn't–"

"Hmph," Hinata looked away from him. She had stripped Kakashi of his shirt, vest, and forehead protector, leaving only his pants and his mask, to Sasuke's dismay (about the mask...not the pants). _What did he do to you? _Hinata wondered as she placed a hand on Kakashi's forehead. She quickly retracted it upon realizing how warm it was. "Oh."

"What?"

"Nothing!" she squeaked, continuing to pointedly look away from Sasuke.

With an exasperated sigh, the Uchiha decided to give up on defending himself, in fact, he didn't mind if people thought he had beaten Kakashi into unconsciousness in his own home. So Sasuke occupied his time with looking around. He had never been inside Kakashi's bedroom before, and found it to be mildly...normal.

Well...aside from the sole light bulb that was dangling from the ceiling by a frayed wire, and slowly swaying back and forth as it flickered on and off creepily.

To the far left of the bedroom's entrance, beneath a large window, there stood an old looking dresser, upon which sat a large leather book and some photographs in wooden picture frames.

To the right of the window was a bookshelf filled with books of various colors and sizes, most of which seemed to be _Icha Icha_ editions.

Sasuke, curious, found himself wandering to the closet on the other side of the room. He opened the door and looked inside.

He was met with a few sets of jounin uniforms, complete with masks identical to the one Kakashi was wearing. Sasuke reached for one of Kakashi's jounin vests, wondering if it would fit him, when something else caught his attention.

To the far end of the closet hung an old, worn ANBU uniform. "Hn…" Sasuke mused, _ANBU..._

"What are you doing?" Hinata's voice cut through his thoughts.

Sasuke glanced at her silhouette, seated at the edge of Kakashi's bed. "Nothing," he said, closing the closet door. "How is he?"

"Sick."

Not really paying attention, Sasuke drifted to the bureau where he eyed a picture of himself, Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi, when they had first been deemed team seven. He faintly smiled at the glare twelve-year-old Naruto was directing towards twelve-year-old him, before his eyes moved to the picture frame beside that one. Kakashi's old team...the Fourth, an Uchiha, a girl with facial tattoos, and Kakashi, twelve, wearing a mask even then.

His hands working on their own, Sasuke flipped open the leather book, and realized it was a photo album. Within it he found numerous photos of team seven, each labeled at the bottom in small neat letters: _Naruto eating ramen, Naruto smiling at ramen, Sakura and Naruto eating ice cream _– Sasuke smirked slightly – _Naruto __lying on the ground unconscious, Naruto bleeding to death, Naruto throwing up, Naruto getting beat up by Sakura, Naruto... _Sasuke stared in shock – _Naruto and Sasuke cuddling. _And indeed, the blonde and brunette twelve-year-olds pictured were lying asleep on some grass between two mats, all eight of their limbs wrapped around each other. Clenching his jaw, Sasuke flipped a page, finding more abitrary photos of himself: _Sasuke scowling, Sasuke enraged, Sasuke monotonous, Sasuke angsting_ – angsting wasn't a word! – _Sasuke sneezing, Sasuke sleeping, Sakura kissing Sasuke in his sleep– _Sasuke snapped the book shut. It was clear what needed to be done.

_Snake, tiger, monkey, boar, horse, tiger,_ "Katon-"

"Wait!" Another's hand covered his mouth just before he could blow fire at the album. Sasuke glared at Hinata's arm, deciding he had been too disturbed by the photographs to notice how she had snuck up behind him.

Releasing his mouth, Hinata reached over to open the photo album again. "Did you see this one?" she whispered, pointing to a picture of them making out in the living room.

Sasuke turned around, brushing passed Hinata, his arms raised and hands poised for strangulation. He felt his fingers twitch slightly in his excitement.

At thirty-two, Hatake Kakashi was in excellent shape. Bulging biceps, rigid pecs, and firm abs adorned his body, his silver hair blown toward one direction.

Hinata rushed past Sasuke, quickly catching his hands before they could make contact with Kakashi's neck, her fingers entwining with his. "Please don't," she entreated. She was such a mother hen sometimes.

Breaking away from Sasuke as he calmed, Hinata directed her worried gaze back to Kakashi, her hand reaching down to cup his cheek. _Poor thing_.

She gasped when her wrist was roughly snatched away. "Stop – touching – him," Sasuke hissed.

* * *

"Teme!" yelled Naruto, his fist violently colliding with Kiba's face. "Sasuke doesn't _use _people..."

"Idiot," Kiba growled back, rubbing his sore cheekbone. "What about Orochimaru?"

"Well…"

"Karin, Suigetsu, Juugo, my mom-"

"_Those were all rare exceptions!"_

"And what about _you _Naruto? Can you really say that Uchiha bastard hasn't taken advantage of _you_?"

"I don't know what you're talking about…" said Naruto hastily, but then he trailed off at realizing what Kiba meant about Sasuke. Training with him one day, then blowing him off the next. Being best buds with him on one occasion, then randomly trying to murder him on another. Naruto bit the inside of his cheek.

"Enough!" a gloved fist slammed down on the innocent counter.

The two boys turned to the girl sitting to the right of them. Team eight had called an "emergency meeting" with team seven regarding Sasuke and Hinata's relationship.

And so, lined up along the counter of Ichiraku, each with a large bowl of noodles before them, was Naruto, Sakura, Kiba, and Shino.

"It's not like they're even _serious,_" Sakura lied, a guilty blush on her cheeks. "They're just – _casually dating_."

"They've been together for months," said Kiba, looking stressed. "They broke up, and just got back together again. And things have gotten serious. Have you seen _his hickeys_–"

"That was Naruto," Sakura insisted, but shrunk at their incredulous looks. "Fine," she mumbled. "So what if it…has gotten serious? So what?" She stuffed a fork full of noodles into her mouth so she wouldn't have to talk anymore.

"I had no idea that Hinata could be so – _kinky_," Kiba said, in reference of the bite marks, a glimmer of fascination in his eyes.

"Sasuke – cares about Hinata," Naruto said, grudgingly. "After she got hurt during our last mission, he stayed with her at the hospital, and–"

"It was just posturing!" Kiba snapped.

Naruto grimaced. "But...ano..." he trailed off, becoming frustrated with the matter. He had not thought he would have to defend Sasuke's relationship with Hinata, especially not so soon after being rejected by the girl in question.

"Is it really any of our business?" said Sakura.

"They're our teammates, _of course it's our business_." Kiba chewed on his spoon. Taking note of the whimpers that Akamaru was making outside the booth, he tossed a dumpling his way. "Hinata's turning eighteen soon. What if...what if they get _married _or something!?"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "You're delusional," she said, removing some notes from her bra and placing them on the counter. "Trust me, marriage is the _last thing _on Sasuke's mind."

Kiba turned to his teammate. "C'mon, back me up Shino."

All eyes turned to the Aburame who had been silent for a while. Shino rested his elbows on the counter and his chin on his intertwined knuckles as he contemplated the issue as a whole. "Hinata...seems happy," he finally said. "Most of the time."

A few moments of silence reigned in which Kiba scowled, Naruto fidgeted, and Sakura sighed. The pinked-haired girl broke it as she stood up, preparing to leave. "That settles it, then. Now just because Sasuke and Hinata have been at it like rabbits-"

_"What!?"_

_Oops._

* * *

Hinata had been taking care of Kakashi all morning, to Sasuke's irritation. He took to sitting in his room sharpening his sword, when he noticed Hinata walk in, looking exhausted, uneasy, and a little bit...upset?

"Will you help me?" she asked, pressing her pointer fingers together.

"With what?" said Sasuke calmly.

"With Kakashi," Hinata responded, looking at him as though it had been obvious. "He has a lot of needs."

_I'm sure he does... _Sasuke thought, but said, "I have no interest in Kakashi's health."

In response, Hinata began to cry. Without warning, or _warrant_, she just started _hysterically crying_. Sasuke didn't notice as his sword slipped out of his hand.

He stood up, and hesitated, not knowing whether to approach her or back away. He had known her to be sensitive, _but not to this extreme. _He stared in fascination as she balled her hands and brought them to her eyes, her tears forming great puddles that threatened to fill the room.

And then he began to malfunction. "Don't-" He paused. "I-" Another pause. His cheek twitched. "I'll help," he deadpanned.

Hinata looked up at him with her teary eyes. "R-really?"

"Un."

Her eyes lit up. "Thank you so much!" Hinata smiled as she grabbed his hand, pulling him along as though nothing had happened, and all Sasuke could think was–

_What the hell?_

As it turned out, he had _very little_ patience with the old man. In small tasks like spoon-feeding (he shuddered), shoulder rubs (he shuddered even more), and footbaths (shudder, shudder, shudder), he tended to _hurt _his sensei with his violently shaking fingers. Was it _his _fault he refused to allow Hinata to participate in any of these heinous acts? And what was worse, he couldn't seem to get out of it, because every time he tried to...

"I w-wi-wish you w-wouldn't b-be so hard on h-him," his wife sniffed, her eyes growing watery again. "He i-is your – your – your sensei!" Then she burst into noisy tears as she attempted to smother herself in his shirt.

Sasuke was decidedly confused. "...Sorry." He awkwardly patted Hinata's back, but she only cried harder, as though Kakashi was dying or something. And since when had that bad stuttering returned? **Nothing made sense anymore.**

Hatake Kakashi was truly a twisted man. He coughed, sniffled, and softly "wept" into his pillow every time the Uchiha was "mean." It had taken a while to get him alone.

"What's with the act?" Sasuke hissed, stalking toward the jounin's bed.

Kakashi sneezed into his book. "What act?" he asked, looking oddly at his pupil.

As Sasuke reached the bedside, his fingers again took to unconsciously hovering over his sensei's throat. "And what did you do to Hinata? She's acting…" He tried to find a polite way of putting it, but all he came up with was, "fucking insane."

Kakashi blankly stared at him for a few moments, then his visible eye crinkled, indicative of an evil smile. "Heh, Sasuke, the thing with women–" he abruptly (frightfully) stopped, and Sasuke heard the door open.

He turned to see Hinata enter the room. She was nipping her bottom lip, while blushing cutely. "Are you feeling any better Kaka-sensei?"

"Yes, thank you," Kakashi responded with a nod, his eyes shifting back to his porn novel.

Hinata smiled as she walked passed Sasuke, placing one of her hands against Kakashi's forehead. "He's still a little warm…"

Sasuke recovered an impassive demeanor. "Hn," he said, feeling weary.

Luckily for him, over the next few minutes Kakashi fell back to sleep with the assistance of one of Hinata's soft lullabies...but as it turned out, Hinata could not sing...at all. The experience was so excruciating, Sasuke feared his sensei had finally died for real.

Sasuke followed Hinata back into the living room feeling betrayed that she had not mentioned her dying-chicken singing voice before they had gotten married. He would have never gone through with it, dammit!

He dozed on the couch for what felt like an hour, before Hinata poked him and asked if he would check up on the silver-haired jounin. Reluctantly agreeing, he slowly opened the bedroom door, so not to bother Kakashi, whether or not he was truly sleeping. The man seemed fine, his porn lying open to cover the formerly visible fraction of his face. His blankets were drawn to his neck and tucked in tightly around him (courtesy of Hinata). Sasuke watched him for a moment, silently taking note of the long, even breaths. _Maybe he really _is_ sleeping._

Sasuke turned to leave, but paused when something caught his eye. He didn't know why he slipped completely into the room; he had already passed the item several times that day.

A lone navy mask hung dangerously from a hook on the closet door, prepared to fall at the slightest breath of air.

Unable to stop himself, Sasuke snatched it off the hook and shoved it in his pocket. _It might come in handy, _he thought as he left. And he didn't mean for anything constructive.

* * *

At the gentle knock he heard on the door some while later, Sasuke slipped out of Kakashi's apartment, where Naruto was waiting outside in the hall. The blonde was giving him a strange look.

"What?" said Sasuke, irritably.

The blonde blushed. "Nothing."

Before Sasuke could close the door behind him, Hinata appeared. "N-Naruto-kun, I'm glad you could come." She smiled, but then the corners of her mouth tugged downwards somewhat, and then it became a full-blown frown. "I'm s-sorry." Her eyes watered. "I'm just r-really u-upset about K-Kaka-sensei's condition." Hinata brought her sleeve to her face and burst into a fit of sobs.

Looking alarmed, Naruto held his arms out, not knowing what to do. He opened and closed his mouth as Hinata hurried off, then glanced at Sasuke, who remained aloof.

"What's wrong with her?"

Sasuke shrugged dismissively. "We need to talk," he said, as he saw Sakura approaching from down the corridor. "Kakashi is sick, and–" Sasuke paused at his teammate's reaction.

"No – I can't – not again." Naruto ran down corridor and flung his body through the closed window, to Sasuke's shock.

"I'm not doing it," said Sakura flatly as she reached him. "Besides, you were always the closest to him."

That was a convoluted interpretation of his and Kakashi's relationship.

Feeling defeated, Sasuke went back inside, where he could see that Hinata was reading Kakashi a chapter of _Icha Icha Explosion_, giggling at silly terms like "beat the meat" and "hide the salami," failing to understand the sexual innuendo.

His cheek twitched. _This living arrangement is __**not **__working out._

He needed a way to be rid of the sick jounin _once and for all_. Kakashi didn't need _them _as caretakers. He needed...some girl. A _cute _girl.

But who?

Perhaps a respectable woman like Shizune? No...Kakashi didn't deserve someone like her.

Maybe...someone with no medical skill whatsoever. Someone _mental _like him, who wouldn't allow him to take advantage of her. Someone _vindictive_ – to _torment _and _brutalize _him–

And then it hit him.

* * *

"Anko's taking care of him." And by "taking care of him," Sasuke meant "smothering him with a pillow." He sat down on the couch across from Hinata as she nervously bit her fingernails, which disgusted him a little.

"I h-hope she knows his favorite chapters," she said.

"She does," Sasuke deadpanned, watching her.

The two of them had strangely become Kakashi's...parents. Stressed and exhausted parents. And like any _parents, _they sometimes had _needs_.

"Anko's…taking…care of him," Sasuke repeated, arbitrarily, as he continued to stare intently at Hinata. "So do you want to..."

Hinata looked at him in shock. "He might wake up," she said, inching away from him.

"But I think he's dead." Sasuke moved closer to Hinata in response.

She was blushing. "S-Sasuke...I don't want to. I'm having my…"

But Sasuke ignored her as he dug into his pocket. "Would you be more willing if I was Kakashi?" he asked, pulling the mask over his face.

There was moment of silence in which Sasuke and Hinata stared at each other.

Then Hinata abruptly ran for the door. When Sasuke blocked the exit, Hinata swerved and ran in the other direction. Sasuke proceeded to chase her in circles around the couch, at least until Kakashi stumbled into the room.


	4. Domestic

**The Hyuuga Curse**

by Bullwinkle's Lady

"I had a strange dream. I was trying to have my way with Hinata. Only, you were me, and I was…" Kakashi trailed off and stared dizzily up at the shady Uchiha. His eyes shifted to Hinata, who looked terribly embarrassed.

"Just go back to sleep Kakashi," said Sasuke as he brought a pillow down on his sensei's face.

**Chapter 4**

Hinata was ridiculously emotional over the next few days, and worse, she refused to have sex with him! And then one day, she was back to normal, and Sasuke realized–

_PMS. _His cheek twitched. The concept of having to endure it once a month for the rest of his life was incredibly unappealing. He eyed Hinata as she sipped from a cup of tea.

She tilted her head to one side. "What's wrong?"

"You…" Sasuke trailed off, suddenly embarrassed. "Nothing." He buried his face back in the mission scroll.

It was Hinata's. Her first jounin mission, and a solo one. He put down the scroll. "Come here," he muttered, and she lowered her tea.

* * *

Feeling much better since being sick over the past few days, Kakashi walked through his living room and noticed Sasuke and Hinata sitting on the couch.

No...

_Sasuke _was on the couch. _Hinata _was on _Sasuke_. And they were kissing; _really_ kissing, not even trying to be discreet about it anymore.

Kakashi cleared his throat.

At hearing him, Hinata stiffened, and tried to pull away from Sasuke, but _he_ wouldn't let her. She slowly submitted, and the kissing continued, Kakashi forgotten.

The copy-nin frowned, slightly annoyed by the display of impudence. He walked about, narrating his actions, even fabricating plans he had with Hyuuga Hiashi to go ice skating later that day, but he continued to be ignored.

Sasuke had begun to breathe heavily, Hinata pressed to him and touching his thigh. Kakashi felt the urge to cover his one visible eye.

But the Hyuuga regained herself and broke away, fumbling to climb off her boyfriend's lap, though he seemed reluctant about releasing her. "I have to go," she said, catching him off guard with a quick peck on the lips. "I'll see you in a few days." With that, she grabbed her mission scroll from the coffee table and ducked off, blushing as she avoided Kakashi's eyes.

The scarecrow simply shook his head. _What happened to innocent little Hyuuga Hinata? _As he eyed Sasuke, he realized the answer. _Corruption._

At Hinata's leave, Sasuke looked down, his face going blank, which intrigued his sensei.

"You love her, don't you?" Kakashi accused.

"Un," said Sasuke, lifting his face to send him a glare.

Kakashi was shocked by the simplicity of the confession. "Are you going to marry her?" he blurted out before he could stop himself.

"Of course," said Sasuke impatiently as he got up and walked out of the room.

* * *

A week later, Hinata was nowhere to be seen. Another week passed, and Hinata still had not sent any correspondence to the Hokage. Naruto could tell that Sasuke was on edge, partly by the way the Uchiha impaled him with his chidori blade five seconds into their latest sparring match. The blonde collapsed to the ground, half-dead.

"Sorry dobe."

_Sasuke – apologizing!?_

"It's just–" Sasuke caught himself. "Nothing." He clenched his fists and began to stalk off.

"Sasuke," Naruto groaned from the ground, allowing the Kyuubi's chakra to encompass his wound. "You know – baa-chan's sending a squadron to follow-up on Hinata's mission? I could…request it…for team seven." He grunted in pain, his body twitching queerly.

Sasuke stopped in his tracks, inhaled, and finally looked back at the blonde.

To say he was worried about Hinata was an overstatement. Just because she was his wife didn't mean he was the type of person to panic every time she went on a mission. In fact, on their last mission together, Hinata had…gotten stabbed and nearly died on the spot. Sasuke tried to cast these thoughts aside, growing frustrated with himself for becoming consumed and preoccupied by these strange new insecurities.

When team seven got to the village in the Earth country at which Hinata had apparently completed her mission, Sakura was tasked with searching hospitals, Naruto, with embassys, and Kakashi was to follow up with some leads regarding the mission Hinata had done prior to her disappearance. Sasuke was tasked with checking hotels, which he wasn't very good at.

"I'm looking for a white-eyed girl around my age?" "She's always blushing or crying or whatever." "Have you seen a white-eyed girl with long black hair?"

By the eighth hotel, Sasuke was not optimistic. He briefly radioed Kakashi to keep him posted on his location, then walked inside, where he was subsequently directed to a room on the third floor. Sasuke impatiently knocked, experiencing a sense of _déjà vu, _and feeling half-surprised when a stupid-faced blonde did not answer the door.

"Sasuke?"

He inhaled, suddenly flooded with relief, then irritation. "Where have you been?"

"Tsunade-sama didn't get my letter? I finished my mission, and decided to stay back to help the villagers with rebuilding the–"

She was interrupted as he kissed her. The two stumbled into the room, the connection never breaking, and the door slamming closed behind them.

* * *

"I couldn't find her," Sasuke deadpanned the next afternoon, standing in the partially-open doorway of Hinata's hotel room and looking rather disheveled.

"Sasuke, it's twelve in the afternoon, and you're…naked," said Kakashi neutrally.

The Uchiha was nude except for a towel he was holding to his groin. Beside Kakashi, Naruto gave his teammate an odd look.

"You realize we get paid for every day we're out here? I don't see what the issue is," said Sasuke.

Kakashi smiled. "Now you're condescending to bribery? This thing with Hinata has really gotten you twisted." His smile widened as Sasuke grit his teeth.

Naruto pushed passed Kakashi, saying quietly to his teammate, "Let us speak to Hinata – just to make sure she's okay."

"She isn't available," said Sasuke.

"_C'mon teme."_

"She isn't dressed. She isn't conscious. _She_ _isn't available._" Sasuke hated having to repeat himself.

"Oh." Naruto blushed, as Kakashi raised his brow. "Later then?"

"Later," Sasuke agreed, closing the door.

He returned to the bed, where Hinata was laying on her front, sheets drawn to her hips, and face hidden beneath a pool of inky hair. Sasuke climbed in beside her, pulling the sheets to his waist. As he began to drift off, Hinata mumbled, "Who was it?"

"Naruto and Kakashi," said Sasuke, not opening his eyes.

"Oh…" Hinata lifted her face, pulling back her hair as she thought. "Sasu…you never found me."

Sasuke opened his eyes. "What?"

"You have to tell Tsunade-sama that you never found me. This is my first solo mission. I don't want her to think I couldn't handle it on my own."

Sasuke scowled at this. "So you're not coming back with us?"

She gave him a weary smile. "I'll see you in a few days."

* * *

A few days later, Hinata had _not_ returned.

Sasuke lay across the wooden floor, staring blankly up at the white ceiling above him.

Yesterday was a haze.

He could remember the burning white office lights, Tsunade's grim features – the faint gurgling noises emitting from Naruto's open mouth.

"I am assigning you both to an ANBU squadron."

At another time he would have been pleased with the ranking, but it only seemed to increase his distance from the girl he was obsessed with.

"You should both be proud. You have fought hard not only to protect your friends and teammates – but this village. You have surpassed even your sensei, and it's time I advanced you accordingly."

And like that, they were ANBU operatives.

A shell-shocked Naruto slowly rotated, before grinning and running off to tell Sakura. Sasuke began to follow.

"Wait."

_Wait,_ the woman had said. Why had he listened?

"You _do know _this means your punishment is lifted?"

"Hn…" He _hadn't _known that.

"And _your_ particular promotion just happens to come with a gift. The contributor will remain anonymous."

Sasuke continued to gaze up at the unfamiliar ceiling.

And now he had a house.

* * *

She roamed about excitedly, pointing out the obvious. "Hardwood floors, full furnishing–" she entered the next room, her voice calling back to him. "This is amazing."

Sasuke looked down, feeling somewhat dejected, though he did not know why. "I'm going back to Kakashi's," he muttered, heading for the door.

Hinata appeared, her hand quickly wrapping around his wrist. "Why?" she asked, refusing to release him as he tried to tug his hand away. His efforts only managed to jerk her close to him.

"Why not?" Sasuke countered.

"Don't you hate it there?" pursued Hinata.

There was an awkward pause.

"Whatever," Sasuke muttered. Hinata smiled slightly.

The entrance of the house led to a living room of wooden floors and white walls. It had large windows on two of the walls, and a third adorned with a stone fireplace. Not far from the fireplace was an entrance to the kitchen, which was similar to Kakashi's, though somewhat bigger.

The fourth wall of the living room introduced a corridor, on either side of which were two rooms. The first was clearly a bedroom. It had a bed, a bureau, and a window, as well as soft beige carpeting. Everything was plain, which Sasuke did not mind.

Across the hall was an empty room with the same dull carpeting. An extra. It could probably be used as a study or something.

At the end of the hall was the bathroom. It had a white tiled floor and a deep bathtub, as well as a shower.

The entire house was quite regular, completely typical – not significant at all.

But Sasuke saw something alien, and Hinata, a source of excitement. They had both grown up in traditional Japanese homes, complete with sliding doors, paper screens, tatami mats, and coffee tables that barely reached their shins.

"It's too big," muttered Sasuke, following Hinata as she admired the fireplace. "I–" he abruptly stopped himself upon realizing he was beginning to sound like the Nara. He had...never really had anyone he felt comfortable enough with to complain to.

Hinata's smile widened. "It's good for when we – want to start – to have..." she trailed off, smiling and reddening.

Sasuke simply watched her. Without warning, he lowered himself to the floor, drawing up one of his knees. He gestured for Hinata to follow, and she did so, crossing her legs as she sat down. When the two were facing each other there, Hinata wondered what had called for the sudden change in atmosphere.

"You look tired," he said.

"What? No." She shook her head in disagreement.

He reached out, his hand reaching the spot where her shoulder and neck met. He massaged the area, causing a small groan to escape her lips. Sasuke knew all her spots.

"The remainder of your mission," he said. "How was it?"

"It was fine, there was just some trouble on the way back, but…" How could he read her so easily? How could he know about the trauma she still suffered since being stabbed on the outskirts of the Leaf? She noticed that Sasuke had glanced at her bandaged palm; an injury she had received while protecting her throat from a Grass nin's sword. "I was...afraid," Hinata admitted, mumbling.

Sasuke's hand pulled away from her neck, instead taking her injured palm. "Let me see."

She numbly nodded as he took her hand. Her eyes remained focused on the floor between them as Sasuke began to unravel the bandages.

The four Grass nin she had encountered had been of the usual variety: shinobi who had taken notice of her eyes, then taken interest in acquiring them. She had not engaged them, but retreated and hidden, which she knew had been the right decision. But it didn't help with the frustration that was bubbling in her chest.

She looked up to notice that her bandages had been changed, the old ones lying on the ground beside Sasuke. He was fast. She nipped her bottom lip, grateful that he had decided not to prod her for more information.

"Does it hurt?" he inquired, still holding her wounded hand.

Hinata didn't want to respond, so settled on closing her eyes. _Yes._

She felt him raise her hand, pressing it against something warm. She lifted her eyelids to notice that it was him – his lips. Her cheeks burned.

"Better?" he questioned.

"Un," Hinata managed. When Sasuke released her, she drew her hand to her chest, feeling her heart thump madly within it. Still, she could not understand why she suddenly felt so vulnerable. "I – missed – you," she confessed.

Sasuke raised his brow. "Stop being a baby," he said, his lip curling slightly.

"It was c-cold, and–"

"You succeeded." He pulled her head down to kiss the top of it.

"Un," Hinata responded, her voice muffled against his chest. She clung to his shirt, desperate for…she didn't know what. "I'm happy that I – that I became a jounin."

"Then act happy."

"H-hai."

She ended up spending the night with him.

**Part 2**

_Hyuuga Hanabi._

It was as Hiashi peered into the tome that he grew perplexed to spot Hanabi's name. According to the book, his youngest daughter was next in line for his position as clan head and Hinata had lost her title as heiress. Hiashi did not know how this was possible. Hinata was his oldest daughter, as well as the rightful Hyuuga heir. The only way that such a thing could be changed–

_Oh._

She wasn't a Hyuuga anymore.

At realizing this, Hiashi became deeply troubled. He had been skeptical of the rumors that Hinata and the Uchiha were dating until that moment.

And so, numb with shock, Hiashi brought his thumb to his canine and bit down. Trembling a little from the trauma of the revelation, he wiped Hanabi's name from the book with a smear of blood, then focused some chakra to the tip of his pointer finger, and burned a new name in its place.

_Uchiha Hinata._

* * *

Hinata found herself spending a lot of her time at Sasuke's new house. It quickly became routine that she would sneak home through her bedroom window in the early hours of the morning, and catch an hour or so of sleep before being awoken again for breakfast.

Occasionally she over-slept and got home late, which she claimed to be because of training with Kiba an Shino, but Hinata knew if this occurred on a consistent enough basis, her father would catch on to what was going on.

Sasuke was growing rather opposed to the charade.

Hinata opened her eyes one morning, a groggy smile crossing her face as she watched Sasuke sleep beside her. At realizing how bright the room seemed, her eyes widened. "Oh no," she whispered, sitting up and beginning to climb out of the bed. Just as she placed both feet on the floor, she felt Sasuke's hand wrap around her wrist.

Sasuke's face was turned away from her, head against his pillow, and eyes still closed. "Stay," he muttered.

Hinata wondered if Sasuke would have said such a thing were he not half-asleep. "I can't," she whispered back, not knowing why it felt so _wrong _to gently detach her arm from his hold, then hurry off into the day.

When Hinata reached the Hyuuga compound, breakfast was already in progress. She looked terribly disheveled as she walked inside, her hair tousled, as there had been no comb in sight at Sasuke's house. She headed for the stairs, but hesitated as she passed the dining room, knowing that things would be worse for her later if she did not confront her father now.

Doing her best to smooth her hair with her fingers, she walked inside, to be greeted with gasps and murmurs from her family members. Trying to ignore them, Hinata took her seat across from Hanabi, and bowed her head to her father who was seated at the head of the table. "Otousan, please forgive me. I – I was out t-training, and-"

"I don't care," Hiashi cut her off, causing Hinata to blink, and everyone else to choke. Hinata looked up from her plate, but her father would not meet her eyes. The stoical man was impossible to read.

"Un," she mumbled, taking her tea cup and pretending to drink. She absently stared at the tabletop. When had her father decided to stop caring?

After breakfast, Hinata went up to her bedroom, and took some time to reflect on the concept of "home."

It had always been the Hyuuga house; her quaint bedroom, with that one picture of her genin team on the bureau, and that big brown teddy bear that Kiba and Shino had given her after passing her chunnin exams. Her bedroom was her safety zone, but it was slowly crumbling, as she had allowed another to invade it.

She left her window open all the time, just so Sasuke could visit her at his leisure. They had had sex in her bed with her family just rooms away, as she whimpered and struggled to keep it down. Maybe she didn't need her safety zone anymore. Maybe Sasuke had taken that role amongst his many others.

Hinata glanced at the calendar on her wall, only then remembering that Sasuke had a mission that day. He was probably gone by now, and she had forgotten to say goodbye. She bit the inside of her cheek, hating herself for it. She would not be able to see him again for at least several days.

Trying to brush these thoughts aside, Hinata began to change her clothes. Maybe she could distract herself training with Kiba and Shino.

* * *

Over the next few days, Hinata harbored an irrational anger towards her family. She had nearly stabbed an elder with a fork at being asked to pass the peas one evening at dinner. Knowing not what to do with her abundance of energy and confusion, she slipped out of her bedroom window late one night, and she didn't even have a good reason for doing so.

She wondered about how Sasuke's first ANBU mission was going. Was he well? Or sick? Hurt? Hinata absently fidgeted as she wandered through the Konoha streets. Her feet seemed to carry her to her newest _safety zone._

Hinata nervously stared up at Sasuke's house. She reached into her pocket to withdraw the spare key he had given her, before unlocking the door and slipping inside. There she turned on the lights, walked to the center of the living room, then unceremoniously dropped to her back and stared at the ceiling.

_Why am I here? _she wondered, lying there on the wooden floor. She decided that Sasuke had been right. His house was rather big.

And quite empty…

Quite.

Just as she began to get up, she heard a knock on the front door. _Sasuke, _she automatically thought, before deflating at realizing it would not make sense for Sasuke to knock on his own door.

So tentatively, she approached it, opened it, and stared.

She had not known much about Sasuke's neighbors. From the living room window, she sometimes noticed outlines leaving early in the morning before the sun had risen. She hadn't expected she would have known one of them.

Her hands shaking slightly, Hinata carefully set a tray onto the circular kitchen table.

Kurenai-sensei.

The crimsom-eyed woman scrutinized her hostess as she lifted the cup of tea that had been prepared for her. She took a sip as Hinata dropped herself into the chair across from her.

Mid-length black hair curled around Kurenai's face, her lips a dark red, the color of her eyes. Some said her beauty rivaled even Tsunade-sama's. Hinata was slightly concerned that her sensei would visit her husband in the middle of the night.

Lowering the cup, Kurenai spoke. "I'd heard the Uchiha moved in here, and was hoping to welcome him. I had not expected to meet _you _here, Hinata."

Hinata bit her bottom lip as she averted her eyes. She did not know what to say. Few people knew that that she and Sasuke were even together. Revealing that they were married would likely cause people's heads to explode – least not of all, _her fathers._

Hinata began to regret visiting Sasuke's house in the first place. Why had she been so thoughtless as to answer the door? And of all people – why did _Kurenai _have to live nearby!?

Hinata looked up again to meet her sensei's eyes. She loved her, she _really _did, it was just that – of all the other women in Konoha, Kurenai was–

Stunning. Exotic. The star of many men's fantasies. Hinata had always felt like a small candle beside her sensei's abundance of beauty, poise, and strength. Hinata wondered whether Sasuke would grin when he realized she lived only a few yards away.

_Don't think like that! _Hinata scolded herself, gathering her courage to speak. "I – I was just–" she wondered whether it was luck or misfortune that she was suddenly interrupted.

Someone else was knocking on the door.

Not knowing what it do, Hinata remained frozen for a while. She had already made one mistake by opening the door the first time.

Kurenai raised her eyebrows. "Aren't you going to answer it?"

That was right. She had already assumed the right to welcome Sasuke's guests, and would make Kurenai more suspicious if her dispositions suddenly changed.

_This is turning into a mess, _Hinata thought, reluctantly climbing out of her seat. "Un," she mumbled, taking a deep breath as she exited the kitchen, crossed the living room, and opened the door to greet–

"Sasuke!" Haruno Sakura shrieked, before pausing, blinking, and scratching her head. "Hinata? Oh…hi."

Hinata flinched. _What is __**she **__doing here? _Did Sasuke have women over in the middle of the night on a regular basis? Wondering if she was just one of an ensemble, Hinata forced a smile and stepped aside. "Sakura-san, please join us for tea."

As they went back to the kitchen and sat down, Hinata felt cornered and claustrophobic. It would only be a matter of time before they started assaulting her with awkward questions. Hinata suddenly wanted to harm Sasuke very much for some reason. She took a sip of tea, struggling to maintain a calm demeanor.

"What brings you here Sakura?" Kurenai decided to break the silence. She and Sakura had been occupying themselves mostly with staring at Hinata (who was sweating and trembling madly).

"Ano..." Sakura blushed slightly. "Well, I came...to..." She awkwardly coughed. "Oh, nothing."

Hinata nearly crushed her glass. _What the hell is that supposed to mean!?_

As Sakura shyly scratched her cheek, still blushing idiotically, Hinata's trembling increased tenfold, and Kurenai directed her odd stare towards _both _of them. "...Okay," she said neutrally. "What about _you _Hinata?"

Hinata's breath hitched in her throat.

Sakura looked at her, as though curious, herself, though she already knew why, and was smirking evilly at the heiress.

"A-ano..." stuttered Hinata.

"Yes Hinata, what _are _you doing here when Sasuke isn't home?" Sakura pressed, hoping to worsen her predicament. The girl was evil.

Kurenai's eyes widened as she caught on to Sakura's implication, and hopefully she just thought her student had become some deranged fangirl who broke in sometimes when Sasuke was away.

Her face burning under Kurenai's scrutiny, Hinata's mind went blank. _Think, think... _But what excuse did she have, really, other than– "I live here!"

It came out before she could stop herself.

What followed was a stretch of awkward silence, two pairs of wide eyes glued to Hinata's pink face.

_What the-?_

A man in an ANBU uniform suddenly walked in. Taking no notice of the attractive group of women in the room, Uchiha Sasuke crossed the kitchen and removed his mask, before searching the refrigerator for last week's tomatoes. His uniform was dusty and torn in some places.

Hinata jumped to her feet, unable to stop herself. "S-Sasuke!"

Black eyes blinking, Sasuke closed the fridge and turned around. _Pleasant surprise, _he mused as she closed their distance, and he grabbed her clothes to lean down and–

Sasuke suddenly took notice of their audience.

He pulled back just before his and Hinata's lips could meet. As Hinata recollected her whereabouts, Sasuke's eyes narrowed at their guests. "Kurenai," he said, and Hinata's felt strangely pleased by the hint of displeasure in his voice.

The sound of Sakura's giggles, however, brought Hinata out of her reverie. Noting her sensei's look of shock, Hinata wiped her expression clear of the dreamy smile that had strangely come to be plastered across it.

"I'd heard the rumors..." Kurenai said. "But surely – they – they couldn't have been..."

Sasuke took a seat in Hinata's empty chair. Seeming apathetic about her predicament, he glanced into her teacup and poured half the sugar pot into it. Hinata watched him take a sip (and twitch in response).

_He seems...tired. _Hinata smiled, before catching herself again, and covering her face with a frown. It had been too long since they had seen each other, and all she wanted to do at that moment was touch Sasuke, or kiss him, but she allowed herself to do no such thing.

"Is it true? Are you two living together?" said Kurenai.

The query had come just as Hinata's resolve faltered again, and she noticed her hand resting against Sasuke's shoulder. As her husband threw her a glance, her mouth worked on its own. "Yes," she said, causing Kurenai to blanch. Sasuke simply raised his brow.

Kurenai opened and closed her mouth, rendered momentarily speechless. The humor in Sakura's eyes morphed into a kind envy, a soft smile crossing her lips.

No longer caring to be discreet, Sasuke grabbed Hinata and pulled her into his lap. Hinata felt her face redden, hating his pleasure of embarrassing her. "We are," he said coolly, seeming to enjoy the unnerved look Kurenai sent his way.

Kurenai's tea cup rattled as she lowered it to the table. "Are you two getting married?" she questioned, her eyes darting from one to the other. Hinata had never heard her sensei sound so uneasy, but it was understandable. Kurenai-sensei didn't know how much Sasuke meant to her.

"I don't know," Sasuke muttered against Hinata's arm. "Will you marry me?" He looked up at her with his indifferent onyx eyes.

Her cheek twitching, Hinata nodded, deriving two surprised gasps from their visitors. She gave Sasuke her sweetest smile. "Of course."


	5. Family Dinner

**Author's Note:** Juri . DP came up with an awesome tactic. If you want to leave me a review but you're not sure what to say, you can always just leave me a "Like." Thank you for the reviews, Juri. xD

Anyway, every time you guys see a "Part 2" it actually means I pasted two chapters together. :P The reason I do this is because I – I love you. –chases readers around with flowers and chocolates–

I'll continue to post advance or deleted scenes on tumblr. Thanks of the follows. :)

Today's References: The Hyuuga Curse (1) and Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire by **Johanne Kathleen Rowling**, not to be confused with that lady who wrote that strange vampire series. ;)

**The Hyuuga Curse 2**

by Bullwinkle's Lady

**Chapter 5**

It was official. Sasuke and Hinata were engaged. Naruto wondered why neither of the two seemed enthusiastic about it.

"Sakura-chan told me," Naruto explained, staring oddly from where he sat at the kitchen table.

Uchiha Sasuke was behind the counter fumbling with the coffee maker and feeling just about ready to pass out. He vaguely wondered if he and Hinata were having too much sex, but then quickly shook his head, dismissing the idea.

"Ne, teme–"

"We weren't being serious," said Sasuke dismissively, not bothering to input the fact that he and Hinata were already married. It had become such a long-running secret, it seemed too wearisome to come out with it now.

Naruto continued to eye him. Sasuke and Hinata were definitely weird. He cleared his throat and decided to up the ante. "Yesterday I proposed to Sakura-chan!"

"Hn…" said Sasuke, not really interested.

Naruto was sweating. "She said yes."

At this, Sasuke paused. That had been among the last things he had expected Naruto to say. "Were you two even dating?" He was surprised by his own incredulous tone.

"No," said Naruto. "And I think _that's_ the best part." He gave Sasuke a nervous grin.

Sasuke couldn't deny Naruto and Sakura's increasing closeness since the end of the war. Even before that, they had always had a strange…symmetry. "Congratulations," he said blankly.

"You're not angry, teme?"

"That's a really...stupid question, dobe." Sasuke felt the corner of his mouth twitch. "I'm glad."

* * *

"Dinner tonight. At eight." His tone was monotonous.

"Un..." she sat on her heels before her father, head bowed as a means of avoiding his eyes. She closed hers as his comments flew by.

"You will dress formally."

"Yes father."

"You will _not _be late to this."

"Yes, father."

"Will you be bringing a date?" It was said in the same dry tone.

"Yes fa-ahh..." Hinata faltered, looking up. For a fleeting instant, she thought she saw a gleam of something like fear in Hiashi's eyes. But next second Hinata was sure she had imagined it.

"Come now," Hiashi continued, casually. "Don't make me elaborate on my findings."

_On your – presumptions!_

"What was that?"

_He can read minds, _Hinata concluded, as she gathered herself and climbed to her feet. _"He will not be coming."_

* * *

Hinata begged Sasuke to come.

She wore a form-fitting black dress with a halter neck, the midnight fabric hugging her figure and going down to her knees. Her hair was pulled back into a knot, leaving her dark bangs to hang over her eyes. For a while they simply watched each other, Sasuke in benumbed silence, and Hinata, with curiosity.

But then she pulled on a black women's haori, diminishing a good amount of what was making Sasuke stare. It was a thin one, and partially transparent. She wrapped it around herself like a shawl. Fortunately it had nothing to hold it closed, so it slipped open unless she held it around herself, and Sasuke could still catch glimpses of her dress.

When they got to the Hyuuga house that night, Hinata paused at the door. She turned to Sasuke, who looked handsome in his navy kimono. She slipped her hand down to his.

They had never really held hands, especially not in public. It felt like something couples did to put their relationships on display for others, and they had never had any need for this.

And so, Sasuke's hand remained quite limp in hers.

Quite.

Hinata swallowed her embarrassment. "You never acknowledged my birthday," she mumbled. Sasuke continued to watch her, but did not respond. "You should know that after dinner...I come home with you. Now that I'm eighteen, I don't have to answer to my family anymore, and they cannot stop me from being your wife. Tonight I'll t-tell my father everything, because I'm..." she trailed off as Sasuke pulled her closer. "…an Uchiha," she said faintly.

Maybe it was all for the best. By changing her family name, she was saving Hanabi from induction into the branch house. Her sister was strong, and Hinata was confident she would be a good leader someday. Hinata closed her eyes as Sasuke leaned down to her.

"Happy birthday," he said, his lips brushing her ear.

The front door swung open, and they were washed in the bright light from inside. Hinata quickly pulled away from Sasuke, unconsciously wrapping her haori around herself again. She turned to the open doorway to meet identical eyes.

"What's going on?" Hanabi looked at them suspiciously.

Sasuke decided, at that moment, he disliked the girl, if just because of the way she drained Hinata of her composure.

"It's n-nothing." Hinata forced a smile as she and Sasuke followed Hanabi inside.

The house had high ceilings, and small lamps, like globes of starlight, that littered the air and sat on the decorative tables about the corridors. It was almost blindingly bright, and Sasuke became aware that he had never seen any of the house beyond Hinata's bedroom.

As Hanabi led them through the house, she cast them continuous, wary glances. She was wearing a ghost white kimono that matched her eyes. With her long hair and placid face, she was attractive, but stony. She carried herself in an air of obstinacy.

As they approached the dining room, the trio heard the sounds of quiet pleasantries and greetings amongst family members. When Hanabi opened the door to reveal them, the voices trailed into silence, and a room full of pale eyes stared upon Hanabi, Sasuke, and Hinata.

Hanabi scowled at them, while Hinata appeared to be unaffected. Sasuke analyzed each of the faces, sorting those who glared from those who were grinning. And then there was the clan head, who just looked uncharacteristic and harassed.

"Come, come," an elderly man spoke from beside the Hyuuga head. "This is a big day for the three of you."

Sasuke wasn't sure what the elder meant by that. He looked at Hinata, but she had not taken notice. Her sister released a rude yawn.

Hiashi's party guests were all dressed in light shades, which made Sasuke intrigued that Hinata had decided to dress in dark. The walls and floors were white, as well as the marble dining table. More of the star-globe lamps littered the air, and the two stood out, easy for ambush.

"Hello grandmother," Hinata said to one of the elders. "Good evening grandfather. Him? My ah – U-Uchiha Sasuke." She stumbled on words. "Oh, good evening great aunt. This is Uchiha Sasuke. Great grandmother. Great grandfather. Ano, he's...just–"

"Uchiha Sasuke," he grabbed the next hand offered to her, though somewhat irked by the elusions.

Most were already familiar with his reputation, and cast him either looks or approval or those of uneasiness, but all were careful with their words. There did not seem to be a consensus on Sasuke and Hinata's relationship. Hiashi had yet to declare one.

"Uchiha Sasuke," Hiashi said as the party guests finally gathered themselves around the rectangular table. "Hinata's – _boyfriend_."

Hiashi took his seat at the head of the table, Hinata and Hanabi taking the spots at his immediate right and left so they were facing each other. Hinata looked down, neither confirming or denying her father's remark.

"It is an honor," said Sasuke flatly, taking the seat beside Hinata, and the others began to sit down.

Dinner was served, and the room was quickly taken by idle chatter. Not much of it was directed towards Hinata, and she seemed content as she shifted her food about her plate with her chopsticks.

At first Sasuke thought she had become insecure, but then realized, she was being aloof. She gave him a very slight smile, and all he wanted at that moment was to grab her by the wrist and drag her up to her bedroom.

Still, as they watched each other, Sasuke could not help wondering about the nature of the party. Though it was Hinata's birthday, her family was barely paying attention to her. It was _Hiashi's_ party, really. _His _celebration. But of what?

And then it struck Sasuke, like a knife to the forehead. He rubbed his temple as he realized–

It was Hiashi's retirement party.

"Hinata." It was her grandmother again, the old woman's face ridden with lines and wrinkles. "You have come of age." She poured some sake into a saucer and slid it across the table to her granddaughter.

Hinata stared down at it. "I have." She threw a glance at her father, who was watching, but did not intervene.

"And I hear you were promoted."

"Un," said Hinata.

"To chunnin?"

"Jounin," Sasuke heard himself cut in, irritated that Hinata's own grandmother had not noticed she had been a chunnin for the past three years. He stole Hinata's sake and drank it, because he knew she had low tolerance for alcohol. He did not realize how controlling it looked to her family members.

The old woman turned her attention to Sasuke. "You must be very fond of my granddaughter."

He took Hinata's hand under the table, idly tracing her radial artery. "Hn."

The woman's face fell. Refusing the qualify Uchiha Sasuke's grunt as a response, she dropped her attempts to converse with him, occasionally throwing Hinata disbelieving glances.

Hinata started to tremble, Sasuke thought in distress, but when he looked at her, he realized she was just trying not to laugh.

The Hyuuga clan did not deserve her. Years under their supervision had turned her into a monument of insecurity, and only in recent months had she begun to unfreeze. Sasuke closed his eyes as his headache intensified.

"Are you all right?" Hinata whispered.

He opened them to Hinata's soft smile.

The chattering around them had become meaningless background noise, because Sasuke suddenly could not care who was watching or listening. "Fine," he said, wondering how she could read him so easily. "Annoyed."

Hinata tilted her head to the side, not realizing how seductive it was as she exposed her throat. "About what?" she asked, as she slipped her hand out of his hold, to instead entwine their fingers. She was really enjoying the hand-holding thing.

So with the hand she had taken captive, Sasuke pulled her closer, and she had to fling her arms around his neck to keep from losing her balance. It was at this proximity that he could lean to her ear and whisper, "You know that you're mine?" He felt her heart pound against his. "Not theirs."

**Part 2**

The room had gone silent, Hinata too stunned to detach herself from him. Her white eyes widened in realization.

"Ahem."

The sound of her father's voice bringing her out of her reverie, Hinata pulled herself away from Sasuke, blushing as she realized everyone was staring at them. Hiashi rose with his glass, to make an announcement.

"Today we celebrate Hinata's birthday," he said. "As well as her inheritance of–"

Hinata stood. "Father? A word?"

As Hiashi closed his mouth and frowned at her, Hinata grasped Sasuke's shoulder. He understood, and the two of them followed Hiashi out of the room.

"What is the problem?" the man asked as Sasuke closed the door to the dining room behind them.

"I–" started Hinata. She could hear the whispers of gossip coming from the room they had left. "A-ano, father, you should know that I–"

"I know you married outside of the clan," said Hiashi.

Sasuke was intrigued by Hiashi's passive response, but Hinata was completely astonished. "How?"

"I have my methods," Hiashi said, his expression unreadable. Hinata searched for contempt, but there was not any.

"Hinata is no longer a Hyuuga. She cannot rule your clan," said Sasuke, not wasting time.

Hiashi dismissed this, "I have made a special exception for her."

"I don't understand," said Hinata. It was true her father would have to wait four more years for her sister to be able to succeed him, but it seemed like a minor inconvenience considering the impact Hanabi would have on the clan. She would maintain the tradition of the houses and build it through discipline and efficiency. Hanabi was a true Hyuuga prodigy.

"As you know, you forfeited your inheritance by marrying before your eighteenth birthday. But I have made a rare exception for you, Hinata. You will be the first _Uchiha _head of the Hyuuga clan, and Hanabi will join the branch house."

Hinata cringed at her father's final statement. "But why?" she said.

Then things took a strange turn.

Hiashi suddenly looked very old and sallow. He began to pace whilst chewing the nail of his left thumb. A few times he paused and stared strangely at the two youths, before he resumed with his pacing, his chewing, and his muttering.

Finally, he stopped. "It's about the curse," he whispered.

"The Hyuuga curse?" said Sasuke blankly.

"The Hyuuga curse!" said Hiashi, watching horror bloom in Hinata's eyes. "Every day I see your insanity growing and growing."

"Have you considered the fact that _you_ might be insane?" said Sasuke.

But Hiashi ignored him. "When two powerful doujutsu users of differing clans come together, the sexual tension is unparalleled. And once they copulate, things only get worse! They go through several stages until reaching full-blown insanity. It starts with unquenchable, sexual urges." Hiashi's wild eyes darted from Hinata's sweating face to Sasuke's deadpan expression. "Periods of vulnerability such as during menstruation or sleep deprivation will give you glimpses of your forthcoming madness. And then there's fluster," He nodded to Hinata's blushing face, "more sex, and liberal amounts of introspection – oh, you're running out of time! I can see that both of you are rapidly declining, you must act quickly."

"What do we do?" said Hinata shakily.

"The only way to prevent it is to conceive. But at a cost. When two powerful doujutsu users of differing clans conceive a child, the hostility between them is–"

"Unparalleled?" said Sasuke, his cheek twitching.

"How did you know?"

"Otousan, this curse just keeps sounding more and more ridiculous…" said Hinata, growing incredulous.

"Only while Hinata is pregnant will you both be afforded a window of lucidity. You'll see things in a coherent perspective. Hinata, you will make the right decision and return to Hyuuga." Hiashi paused, before turning to Sasuke. "Though it is possible the curse has rendered you impotent – in which case, it is already too late!" He stared at the Uchiha.

Sasuke opened his mouth to retort, but then regained control of himself, closed his mouth, and twitched some more.

"And what about our child?" said Hinata, causing Sasuke to blink. "If we have one?" she added.

Sasuke peered at her, wondering if she was really buying into Hiashi's crap.

"Since your child would be both Hyuuga and Uchiha, it would be spared the curse. Whether your child has sharingan or byakugan, it would be taken in as Hyuuga heir where it belongs."

Sasuke was so astounded by Hiashi's audacity, he continued to be rendered speechless.

"I'll give you a month to decide, Hinata." Hiashi gave them one more terrified look, before skirting off into the shadows.

Sasuke lightly shook himself. "She doesn't need a month," he growled after his father-in-law. He unconsciously reached for his sword, tempted to go after him, but his hand only met with air. He fingers twitched as he realized he had left his chokuto at home.

After Hiashi's leave, there was a strange pause, Sasuke and Hinata looking away from each other in that dark corridor.

"It's late. Please spend the night," said Hinata, being excessively polite.

The party had disbanded at some point throughout their conversation with Hiashi. In silence, Sasuke and Hinata walked through the halls, until their paths diverged.

"The guest rooms are this way," she pointed down one hallway.

He nodded once. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Neither thought it would be appropriate to go back to her bedroom together, especially when most of her family only understood Sasuke to be her "boyfriend." In his absence, Hinata wandered the corridors as she sometimes did, struggling to organize her thoughts.

She had never imagined she would still be eligible for the title of Hyuuga head. She had never even been that interested in it – but the moment her father had proposed it, and with more certainty about it than he had ever offered before – she couldn't help imagining the plethora of possibilities. She could build the clan, but in a _different_ way than Hanabi. She could make it _great _again.

Hinata walked through the branch family quarters, observing the green seals painted over the doors that identified this partition of her family members as inferiors.

"Hinata-sama?" Hinata looked up to spot Neji some yards away. He approached her. "Happy birthday." He took her hand, and there was so much meaning to the simple regard, but neither said anything of it.

Neji was stripped of his hitai-ate, his long black hair hanging limply around his shoulders. The cursed markings on his forehead seemed to glow in the darkness. He was in his ANBU uniform, with the long gloves, and the tattoo on his shoulder like the one Sasuke had gotten. She didn't know if he was on his way in or out.

There was something about Neji's appearance – the cursed mark, exposed and blatant – that left her feeling powerless in many ways. Neji was a slave, contained to his people if only as a protector. He existed to serve her, and was expected to die doing so.

In addition to being cruel, the branch house selection was unfair. Any younger siblings of the clan heir was automatically inducted into the branch house when said heir came of age. Hinata did not understand how such a custom had gone on for so many generations with no intervention from the government. It was as though the risk of tensions between the Kages and the Hyuuga clan exceeded the value of her cousins' lives. Konoha had faced the end of society in the war, and still, these archaic traditions persisted.

After quietly bidding Neji goodnight, Hinata went up to room but did not get any sleep. She didn't care about the supposed Hyuuga curse anymore, not the way she had months ago, when it seemed as though she had been so much younger and more naïve. Instead Hinata mused about how Hanabi would be marked if she were to accept their father's proposal. She didn't know if she would be able to stand the guilt of such a thing happening.

And what of the other branch house members? Were she to reject the title of clan head, there was no doubt that Hanabi, even in hypocrisy, would do her best to maintain the branch house.

Hinata's mind drifted to Sasuke, who was clearly opposed to her father's proposition. She didn't think it would be possible to maintain her marriage if Sasuke was at odds with her on something so substantial. Similarly, she could not maintain a relationship with her father if he continued to be determined that her and Sasuke's relationship was anathema.

Before sunrise, Hinata found herself getting up, feeling restless. She wanted to see Sasuke, she didn't know why, she just felt lonely and horrible all the sudden. She left her room and quietly made her way to the guest wing, peeking through every door until she spotted a familiar lump of sheets. Hinata slipped inside, and as she closed the door behind her, Sasuke sat up, the sheets slipping down his bare torso. "Hinata…" he said wearily.

"I needed to see you," she managed, her heart pounding.

"What is it?"

Hinata inhaled, then closed the distance between them, climbing on the bed to straddle him, and feeling Sasuke's hands rest on her hips. She sensed his hesitation, and pleaded, "Don't – please don't." She had never been with him without a condom, not even when they had first married.

For a moment, Sasuke simply watched her, his expression unreadable, but then he began to slide his hands up her hips, and her gown up with them.

By sunrise, both were naked, unconscious, and wrapped in each other's arms. As the house stirred, so did they, Sasuke's gender hardening as he sensed Hinata's body against his. He caught her hand just before she could tease his erection.

"It's late," he said, sitting up, and Hinata groaned as his warmth withdrew from hers.

She curled up under the sheets and watched unhappily as he began to don his clothes. When he finished getting dressed, he looked down at her, and what he said next gave her pause.

"Ja."

With that, he opened the window and disappeared.

* * *

1. Make a poem on the spot.

2. Sing a song.

3. Pantomime a famous movie until someone guesses what it is.

4. Tell a riddle that no one can figure out.

5. Tell a joke that makes everyone laugh.

6. Tell an interesting secret about yourself.

Six glasses sat in the center of the round table, each with a number at the bottom. The glasses ranged in size according to their numbers. The smallest, a shot glass, had the number one on it, while the largest, which was far bigger than a coffee mug, had the number six on it. Each glass was full to the brim with sake.

Naruto rolled a six-sided die and watched as it landed on the number five.

Slowly, Ino smirked. "Make us laugh," she said.

Naruto uncertainly tugged at his collar. "Ummm...okay...let's see..." he slurred, raking his brain for yet another joke. He knew he was going to have to get a little racy if he had any hopes of saving his poor liver. "Okay, so why did the monkey fall out of the tree?"

Ino blinked as Kiba tilted his head to the side.

"Because he was dead," finished Naruto, grinning.

_**That **__was racy? _Naruto's invisible pet monkey shrieked in outrage. The blonde's liver began to cry...or rather, it began to secrete a nasty green slime.

Sasuke peered at him oddly. "That wasn't funny dobe," he muttered, sliding glass five over to the blonde. The Uchiha had lost quite a few rounds of his own (what with his inability to sing, recite poetry, mime, tell jokes, make riddles...or participate in any other social activity...aside from drinking games, apparently), and the room was beginning to spin around him.

As Naruto nearly dry-drowned himself in his large glass, Neji took the die and rolled. He was apparently the quiet drunk, and took to smiling creepily around the room. The die landed on six and Neji blinked. An interesting secret about himself?

"I'm bisexual," the Hyuuga muttered.

"That wasn't a secret," said Sasuke.

"And it wasn't very interesting," added Kiba. "Drink up."

Giggling, Ino ripped her top off, though they weren't playing any sort of strip game. As Naruto thumped his foot, Sasuke's left eye twitched. He wasn't accustomed to such small breasts.

Shino was winning by far, and hadn't been forced to take a single drink of sake. He always managed to roll a three, and always mimed movies like "Dead Silence," and "The Quiet." No one had known about the mysterious nin's amazing skills in the art of charades.

One might wonder how such a questionable group of ninja had come to congregate in such a...civil...bar game. Naruto, being the neutral Hinata-associate among the party, had called forth his friends. He had been feeling quite bad. Kiba and Shino had been complaining that Hinata was missing training sessions, while Hyuuga Neji complained that his cousin would go missing for days on end. Uchiha Sasuke complained that Hinata was overbearing, and Yamanaka Ino did not seem to be complaining at all.

Naruto peered at the girl in question. He had not actually invited her, but she had appeared on his doorstep demanding to know what he and Sasuke were up to in his apartment together.

So Naruto had allowed Ino to crash the Hinata-lovers party, being that there had been one opening. Hiashi, for some odd reason, had not responded to Naruto's _'i choopped off neji's dick, and i'm forcing him to eat it as you read dis' _ransom note. Perhaps it was all for the best. Naruto absently watched Ino bounce up and down. He then pretended she was Hiashi, and immediately vomited into Kiba's lap.

The Inuzuka repaid him with a black eye.

It was Sasuke's turn again. The Uchiha had been unsuccessful in telling any secrets of interest during his previous two turns, both of which he had rolled a number six. Following his two large servings of sake, he was beginning to feel queasy.

He rolled the die and watched as it landed on number six for the third time in a row. He glared at the small plastic cube.

The grinning-Neji refilled the immense glass number six and slid it over to the Uchiha.

Sasuke scowled. _An interesting secret? _He motioned to Shino and Neji. "I'm _fucking_ your teammate, your cousin–" He paused as he turned to Kiba. "...your wet dream."

Though Kiba had not reacted, Naruto immediately leapt onto him in an effort to hold him back. The old wooden chair collapsed beneath them with an audible "**CRACK**" as Naruto and the Kiba became a writhing mass of flesh on the ground. Neji, personally, thought that it looked like Naruto was attempting to have his way with the dog-boy.

After a few moments, Kiba finally managed to throw Naruto off him. He slammed his fist onto the table and glared at Sasuke. "We. Already. Knew. That!" he hissed, before turning around and storming from the room with a brief mention that he had to pee.

Naruto climbed back into his chair. "Eugh, sorry guys, I had a little too much to drink," he said, throwing one of his arms around Ino's shoulders. "Your turn."

Ino rolled the die, before singing a rather off-tune song that Sasuke had once liked...despite the fact that she had rolled a number three. Kiba returned to the table just as Ino noticed Naruto's arm around her shoulders. She pulled out a kunai and aggressively attempted to stab him. Ignoring them, Kiba rolled the die.

_4. Tell a riddle that no one can figure out._

Kiba cleared his throat. "A woman has three children. Half of them are boys. How is this possible?"

Everyone was silent for a moment.

"They're all boys," said Neji.

Kiba glared at him as he took glass four.

"I hate children," said Sasuke, quite randomly.

"As do I," mentioned Neji.

"Nasty vermin," Naruto shook his fist as Shino nodded in silent agreement.

Kiba was appalled. "I love kids!"

"My turn!" said Ino, taking the die.

"No it _isn't,_" said Naruto, snatching it from her. He rolled a number three. _Pantomime a famous movie... _The blonde thoughtfully rubbed his chin, before releasing a ludicrous birdcall.

"No sounds. You lose," Sasuke quickly interrupted.

"What was that anyway?" asked Kiba, baffled.

"Princess Fuun. Duh," said Naruto as he sipped from glass three.

Neji grabbed the die, managing to roll a number one. "Pass," he said, taking glass one. It was the smallest of the six, and he wasn't in the mood to recite poetry.

Sasuke sighed. His turn again. He rolled the die and watched as it landed yet again on number six. Everyone began to giggle at his misfortune.

"Tell us an interesting secret," said Naruto, as the Uchiha blankly stared at the tabletop. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to suppress the urge to vomit.

Then Shino spoke for the first time that night. "People are saying you're...engaged to her now."

Opening his eyes, Sasuke stared into the pale liquid overflowing glass number six. "We're already married."


	6. Stockholm

**Author's Note:** Lila-me did some amazing fanarts for my story "Having Edge." The first one is linked at the top of my bio, please be sure to check them out.

None of this content was in the original Light. This chapter was written by present-Winkle. The Forest of Death stuff is going to be the next chapter. Originally, it was chapter 9, but because of the way I compacted the story, it is now going to be chapter 7.

I know it has been a while, but I keep having compulsions to change the story, yet I have been ridiculously busy. There has been no time to work on this, but today my boss accidently gave me a day off. Please be sure to read and review. I am grateful for every ion of encouragement.

swandreamer: Thank you for saying that, you are absolutely right. I will get into the central conflict more as the story progresses.

Onna: Woman

**The Hyuuga Curse 2**

By Bullwinkle's Lady

**Chapter 6**

"What happened to you?" asked that girl. "Sasuke?" She pestered him until he opened his eyes. His head was pounding, and his left eye was sore. As he looked up at her, he was reminded that she wasn't a girl…she was much more than that.

She took a seat beside him on the bed, her careful fingers reaching down to spread something around his eye. It caused it to tingle and mitigated the pain. She leaned down to observe him so closely strands of her hair tickled his throat.

"Onna."

"It's Hinata," she said, pressing her lips as if to restrain herself from saying something else. But then she pointedly added, "your wife."

"Why are you being nice to me?"

"I don't know," she said, idly brushing his hair away from his eyes. "I guess I…really like you. Even if you're a jerk sometimes." As Sasuke stared at her, she averted her eyes, and scratched her cheek. "Maybe things will make better sense in the morning."

"You're too good for me," said Sasuke, causing her to blink, a smile spreading over her face. "I really love…"

"Yes?"

"…pineapples."

Hinata stared as Sasuke fell asleep. Fingers twitching, she stood and stalked off.

* * *

The next morning, Hinata was frustrated.

She had gone over Sasuke's house the previous night to find him sprawled in bed with a black eye, and apparently inebriated, if their conversation that followed had been any indication. That, and the odor of sake on his breath, and his inclinations towards professing his love for pineapples.

As her fists unconsciously clenched, she wondered what his problem was. He had stormed off with just one word after staying at her family's house the day before. Was he bothered about the things her father had said? Or was it just her? It was dispiriting that just after she had finally convinced herself to move in with him, he did not seem to want to live with her after all.

"Hinata."

She was pulled out of her thoughts just short of walking into a tree. She looked up and recollected her whereabouts.

She had spent the morning training with Kiba and Shino, but had barely been conscious of any of it. She was always allowing Sasuke to distract her, whether he was present or hundreds of miles away. She looked down at the cuts and scratches on her hands.

"We need to talk," said Kiba gruffly.

Then again, her teammates seemed distracted as well. Hinata looked from one stern face to the next.

"What's going on with you?" said Shino.

Maybe her frustration was showing? "Nothing," she said.

"Oh? Nothing you want to tell us? Or nothing you want to talk about?" said Kiba.

Hinata's eyes widened as she realized–

"We _know,_" said Shino.

Those two syllables somehow reduced her to a stuttering mess as she tried to explain. "I d-didn't tell you because I d-didn't want to hurt you." She took a breath of air. "I j-just wanted to be with him. I was b-being–"

"Selfish?" said Kiba.

It was true. For once in her life, she had been selfish.

Hinata looked down. "With everyone trying to intervene…I j-just wanted him for myself," she mumbled, surprised by the way her thoughts translated to words. When only silence followed, she raised her gaze up to their stunned expressions. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

For a while, Kiba and Shino simply stared at her as she waited for their faces to contort either in forgiveness or disgust. Just when she feared they would never come to terms with what she had done, Shino unpocketed his hands, offering one of them to her. "It's okay," he said. "There's no need to apologize."

Overwhelmed by his acceptance, Hinata closed their distance and embraced him, but quickly sensed that this made him uncomfortable. It was surprising to realize how far she had progressed from her own issues with intimacy and contact. "Sorry," she repeated, pulling away from him. She could still feel Kiba watching her, but did not meet his eyes. Maybe he thought the marriage was a mistake. Maybe it was. "I'm just – r-really glad you finally know. I'm tired of hiding it. Ano...how did you find out?"

"Sasuke," said Shino.

"Oh." Hinata's face fell. She bit the inside of her cheek.

"What is it?" said Kiba. "What did he do _this_ time?"

"Nothing," said Hinata. "He's just…sometimes, he's just..." She shook her head. "I have to go." She couldn't bring herself to tell them about their dispute. They were already against Sasuke as it was.

"I'll walk you home," said Shino, but then he hesitated. "To – his house?"

"T-to the Hyuuga compound," said Hinata, and she could feel the tension amongst them grow. Not saying anything more, she walked off ahead of them, but could hear Kiba and Shino trailing behind.

Had she glanced back, she would have seen Kiba clench his bruised fist, as he mouthed to Shino something he'd mouthed many times before. _I'm going to kill him._

* * *

Sasuke awoke that morning in a haze of pain. He climbed out of bed, his body aching, and his head spinning. He covered his eyes, which hurt the most of all, and somehow made it to the bureau, which he leaned heavily upon. _What happened last night? _he wondered, staring into the mirror, and at the ring around his left eye. He raised his bangs to further examine himself. His eye wasn't swollen, or as bad-looking as a fresh black eye should have looked. In fact, it seemed partially healed. _Hinata, _he mused, as he noticed the container of ointment on the dresser. He sighed and rubbed his head as he tried to remember who had hit him. His instincts told him it was Naruto, but there had been so many other potentially hostile people at the party.

Turning away from his reflection, Sasuke wandered his house, looking for Hinata, but ultimately realizing she was not there. He sat on the living room floor and drew up one of his legs to lean upon. That was right. They did not live together.

* * *

After bidding Kiba and Shino farewell outside the gates (reassuring them for the umpteenth time that she was all right), Hinata walked into the Hyuuga gates, through the courtyard, and onto the veranda, and was surprised by who she saw there. "Sasuke." He cleaned up well for someone with a black ring around his eye. He was wearing his ANBU uniform without the armor, his hands pocketed, and his face betraying no hint of emotion.

"Hinata," he greeted her.

"So you remember my name today?" she said, getting flustered despite herself.

Sasuke raised his brow. "What?"

"I'm going inside." She attempted to walk passed him, but he caught her hand.

"You're coming with me," Sasuke corrected her.

"What? Where?"

"On a date."

"Date? But…ano…"

She was helpless as Sasuke dragged her off. Thankfully Kiba and Shino were gone when they walked through the gates again. Hinata allowed herself to be pulled through village, the concerned stares of onlookers becoming curious ones as she reluctantly stopped resisting. Sasuke stopped in front of restaurant she didn't know he knew she liked. "They have good cinnamon rolls," he said, watching her, but she just glared at the ground.

Sasuke released her hand, but instead reached behind her neck to unlatch the chain hidden in her collar. As Hinata noticed he was taking her ring, she stiffened, and reached for it, but Sasuke caught her hand. He opened her fingers, and slipped the ring on, causing her to redden as she bit her mouth.

It had never been his decision to conceal their marriage. It had not been hers. It had been instinctive, mutual, and both had adapted. They had gotten too accustomed to hiding their relationship, and Konoha had gotten accustomed to it as well.

Hinata felt Sasuke follow her inside. Team ten was there, but she did not notice their murmurs, too occupied with staring at the diamond on her finger. After they were seated, she looked up at Sasuke, who was watching her in indifference. She did not understand why he would continue to pretend there was not discourse between them.

"You don't want me," she concluded.

"Of course I want you," Sasuke responded.

"In your house," Hinata elaborated.

"Of course I want you in our house."

She reddened.

"I'm lost without you," Sasuke added.

Her cheek twitched.

"You're very pretty."

A few tables away, Ino had risen to gawk at them, but Hinata tried not to pay it any mind. Her face pink, she realized Sasuke was assaulting her with compliments that were otherwise meaningless. She refused to allow him to take advantage of her. "Th-that's not what you said before," she squeaked.

"What did I say before?" he said coolly.

"You didn't say anything. You j-just – left."

"Hn." He looked at her thoughtfully, as though she was out of her mind.

She felt a sudden sense of déjà vu, reminded of Sasuke's inherent inconsistencies. He was prone to doing things he would pretend he had not done later. Her heart pounded as he took both her hands on the table between them, and Hinata was sure she could hear Ino's throat closing up a few yards away. Maybe Sasuke thought she would drop the matter if he got her flustered enough, and maybe it was working.

But she had one more thing to say. "You were supposed to take me home with you. You weren't supposed to just leave without saying anything. It was as though you were upset after we…" she trailed off as she noticed Sasuke looking at their hands in a subtle show of apprehension. He never averted his gaze. But then he sighed, and met her eyes again. "You're right."

"Hey, what's up, guys," said a voice that jarred them both enough to release each other's hands. Sasuke and Hinata looked up at Naruto, whose own black eye had disappeared. Sakura's handiwork, Sasuke supposed. "Sasuke, how are you?" Naruto continued. "You were pretty messed up when I brought you home last night."

Sasuke was slightly alarmed to learn that _Naruto _had had to bring him home the previous night. It did not make him optimistic about his alcohol tolerance.

"Though it may have been a bad decision on my part. I woke up in your neighbor's trash can. She was all like–"

"Dobe," Sasuke interrupted, having no desire to hear more. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm on a date." Naruto nodded to Sakura, who was just entering the restaurant. She threw a wave at the hysterical Ino. "Hey, do you mind if we join you?"

"Yes," said Sasuke.

"Great," said Naruto, misunderstanding. Before he could force himself onto the spot beside Sasuke, Hinata stood and offered him her bench. As Sakura came over to sit beside Naruto, Sasuke moved over so Hinata could sit beside him.

"Well, congratulations," said Naruto, grinning at Sasuke and Hinata.

"Newlyweds, eh? That explains some things." Sakura winked at Hinata, who blushed.

"Hn," said Sasuke, impassive towards the remarks.

As the waiter came by and lowered Sasuke and Hinata's orders, Naruto and Sakura helped themselves to Sasuke's plate.

"This date is just a formality," Sakura notified Naruto.

"You like my body," Naruto grinned at her, wiggling his eyebrows.

"I can't wait to take you," said Sakura, licking her lips.

"I want you to strip."

"Can I touch your…"

Sasuke wrinkled his nose at the perversity. He could never imagine himself saying those kinds of things except for the times he had said them in previous chapters. In the meantime, Hinata stared at the two, intrigued by their comfort and balance. She tilted her head to the side as Naruto and Sakura's hands brushed when they simultaneously reached for the plate of dango. Rather than owning up to their perverted remarks, they both blushed, and drew their hands to their laps. As Sasuke smirked, amused by their sexual naivety, Hinata blankly watched the pair, confused by their embarrassment.

She picked at the plate she shared with Sasuke, feeling strange to be a spectator for once. As Naruto-kun blushed and informed Sakura she had a cute nose, she blushed back, and called him an idiot. They used their chopsticks to battle over the last dumpling in Sasuke's stew, then Naruto insisted on feeding it to her after he won.

Was this how a normal couple behaved? She glanced at Sasuke, who seemed just as fascinated by the display, if not a little disturbed. Hinata bit her bottom lip, envious that Naruto and Sakura's love could be so easy while she and Sasuke seemed constantly at war.

After lunch, Sasuke walked her home in a silence she found to be awkward, but one he might have found comfortable. When they reached the fork in the road that would determine whether they were going towards his house, or the Hyuuga compound, Hinata began to walk off towards the compound, but stopped in her tracks as Sasuke called out, "Hinata."

"Yes?" she said tiredly.

"Come home with me."

Hinata inhaled. "I can't," she said, and she continued walking. She heard Sasuke follow, and soon he was alongside her, walking her home, as any other date would. Maybe Kiba was right in believing that Sasuke was not good for her. Even if he did love her, he clearly was not ready to share his life with another person.

When they got to the veranda outside her house, she turned to him, apologetically. "You've just been telling me what I want to hear. N-nothing you said today was sincere."

"No it wasn't," Sasuke agreed.

She thought he would follow up with an explanation, an apology, or more efforts of manipulation, but he seemed content with her assessment, so she turned and stalked off, her fists clenched, and her brows furrowed. She stopped just before walking inside as he spoke.

"I needed a moment."

"To get drunk with Naruto-kun?"

"Maybe."

A moment? A moment to think? _I need a moment too,_ Hinata decided as she walked inside, absently thinking about the factors that had changed the night Sasuke had spent at the Hyuuga house. There had been her failed inheritance, and her father's rant about the Hyuuga curse. Then there had been the sex, the unprotected sex she had insisted upon. Was that what was bothering him?

Despite having a late lunch, Hinata went to her family dinner just to keep up appearances. She would spend an hour shuffling food around, then go up to her room, and not think about Kiba, Naruto, or – anyone. She would close her eyes and pretend to be on an island that was slowly sinking, and she would drown.

Just as she took the seat waiting for her at the dining room table, someone walked in after her, and the room fell silent.

"You're coming with me," said Sasuke flatly.

As her family members stared from Sasuke to Hinata, wearing looks that ranged from shock to fear, Hinata flushed, and grasped for words. "W-what are you talking about?"

"Right now," said Sasuke.

He approached her and grabbed her arm, pulling her up from her chair and away from the table. "No – stop – don't–" Hinata struggled, but Sasuke lifted her up and her family speechlessly watched as he carried her away.

The trip back to his house was an uncomfortable one, Hinata blushing, squirming, and occasionally trying to scratch out Sasuke's eyes. She eventually settled on burying her face in his shoulder, because she could no longer stand the villager's stares. For once, the consensus that he was kidnapping her was actually true.

She heard a door open, and the sounds of Sasuke's sandals against the wooden floors. She raised her face just as he lowered her gently to her feet.

Hinata immediately darted off behind a table in the living room, where she lurked and peered at Sasuke as she plotted her escape. Sasuke, strangely, did not seem very concerned about it, as he went about washing his face, doffing his shirt, and putting away his sword. When he walked into the bedroom, Hinata raced for the front door, but hesitated just as she reached for the doorknob. She turned around and instead walked down the corridor, to Sasuke's bedroom, where the lights were off, the door, ajar. She walked inside and climbed onto the bed, resting her head against his chest, and closing her eyes. She trembled as his idle fingers stroked her spine.

"Don't leave me again," he said.

"I won't," she promised, unaware that she was lying. "Not for them."

"Not for anyone."

She nodded.

"I don't care what the future holds. All I care about..."

Sasuke trailed off and did not finish. She climbed up and gripped his collar. "You're not falling asleep until you finish that line," she said stubbornly.

For a moment he watched her, then his lip curled, and his released a sharp exhalation, a sound that, for him, could pass for a laugh.

Hinata slowly released him as she realized he would not finish what he had been saying. She lowered herself, her head resting beneath his chin, and just when she thought their conversation was over–

"Don't leave me again," Sasuke repeated, in a numb, hollow way, and he had never sounded as vulnerable as he did at that moment.

* * *

Sasuke awoke early the next morning to someone banging on his front door. Hinata seemed comatose beside him, but he could not sleep through all the noise. He climbed out of bed and walked down the hall, rubbing his eyes on the back of his hand as he did so. He crossed the living room to the front door, and threw it open to see Kiba standing on the porch.

"Uchiha," the nin snarled his greeting. He observed Sasuke's black eye and a grin crossed his face.

For some reason, Sasuke's eyes darted to Kiba's fist, and he experienced a sudden flash of memory – that very fist connecting with his face. Sasuke's eyes turned red, but he closed them, looking away until he had relaxed enough to deactivate the sharingan. He looked back at Kiba and offered him a nod. "Come in." He walked off.

Kiba hesitated, but then clenched his jaw and walked inside, where he followed Sasuke into the kitchen. There, he sat down at the table as the Uchiha put on the kettle and pulled three cups out of a cupboard, though Kiba was not sure who the third one was for. Sasuke filled each cup with hot water and placed a tea bag in each of them. He brought two to the table, Kiba suspicious of his strange hospitality. Sasuke then went back to the counter, which he lurked behind as he lifted his own cup to his lips.

After drinking most of his tea, Sasuke lowered the cup and threw a nod in Kiba's direction. "Good morning," he said, causing Kiba to wonder if he wasn't drunk again. He did not realize he was addressing the girl standing behind him.

"Oh."

Kiba's head snapped in the direction of Hinata's voice. The girl in question stood in the doorway, wearing a silk white robe that went to her knees. Her feet were bare, her hair, tousled, and at Kiba's stare, she wrapped the robe more tightly around herself.

"Ano..." She reddened.

"Hinata…what are you…doing here?" But it seemed fairly obvious what she was doing there. Kiba blushed at his own inquiry.

She sat down at the table, despite that she would have preferred going back into the other room, but she refused to deny her relationship anymore. "We made up," she said, sliding the remaining cup over to her, and staring at its contents so to avoid Kiba's eyes.

"We did," Sasuke affirmed, causing Hinata to blush and Kiba to stiffen.

Sasuke took a sip of tea, enjoying Kiba's look of complete impotence. The tension in the room was almost tangible.

"Oh," said Kiba, stiffly lifting his cup. "Good – then."


	7. Workplace Professionalism

**Author's Note: **Another chapter written by present-Winkle. Well, this early-update is dedicated you. I love you. –creepy stare– The next chapter is done, so let me know when I should post it. :P

**Today's References:** The Hunger Games, Lord of the Flies, Harry Potter, The Hyuuga Curse (1), Naruto Episode 27.

I deleted a scene, but then I put it back because tactics and zuul told me to. :P I does what I'm told. 8D

**The Hyuuga Curse 2**

By Bullwinkle's Lady

**Chapter 7**

"You have all been summoned today for a training exercise. It will take place over two sessions in the forest of death. As you have probably noticed, this is for all our newest jounin and ANBU appointees. Though this is not an official competition, I cannot guarantee that an abysmal performance won't get you demoted," said Anko smugly.

The confused members of team seven, eight, ten, and twelve were standing just outside the gates of the forest of death, watching as their scantily dressed superior went over the rules. Flanking her on one side was Kakashi, and on the other, stood Kurenai, and Gai.

"You will be divided into two groups – teams seven and eight versus teams ten and twelve. Your goal is to capture the tower." Anko threw a rolled up map, which Sasuke caught. She passed another one to Shikamaru. "For a team to gain victory, all its members much reach this location first, with a limit of three days. You can split up, but I wouldn't advise it.

"Besides the general obstacles in the forest (giant snakes, giant bears, giant squids, the occasional child-molester…), there will be a variety of traps as well. Anything goes when it comes to hand to hand combat. The only thing that might disqualify you is killing your opponent too slowly."

Kiba paled at this.

"-_Or_ betraying your teammates by fighting for the wrong side," Anko added. "Any questions?"

"This is bullshit!" said Ino.

"Speaking of which, you should be aware that your behavior in the forest will be live-broadcasted to the jumbo-screens at the stadium to thousands of watchers." Kakashi winked as Hinata blanched. "So try to make a good impression."

"Now fill out your consent forms," Anko nodded to a table a few yards away. "And then we'll begin."

As Sakura walked with her group to sign their consent forms, she glanced at Chouji and Ino, who were exchanging horrified looks. Their opponents had definitely gotten the short end of the stick to be facing off against the _new sannin._

Within fifteen minutes, everyone finished signing their forms, and headed into the forest. Team ten and twelve quickly darted off together.

Kiba lowered his backpack, "Since it's getting late, we should start making camp and–"

"LET'S FINISH THEM!" Naruto screamed, tearing apart his jacket for emphasis. As he darted after teams ten and twelve, Sasuke smirked and followed. Hinata and Sakura hesitated, then took chase as well, wanting to make a good impression for their spectators. Kiba and Shino gave each other weird looks, but followed.

Team ten and twelve were just beginning to make camp a few kilometers away, Lee impaling a few squirrels he had befriended for the fire, when Naruto barged in on them, looking psychotic. Releasing an animalistic snarl, he lunged straight for Chouji's throat. Sasuke stabbed Tenten with his chidori blade, and Sakura bashed Lee's head against a tree with enough force to fracture his skull. Team eight could do little more than stare at the carnage.

Hinata snapped out of her reverie when she noticed that Ino and Neji were getting away. Activating her byakugan, she chased them into the trees, where they branched off, so she decided to pursue Ino. She followed her back to the ground and through a clearing, where she finally got close enough to attack, "Hakke-!"

Hinata froze in place, suddenly unable to move. Shikamaru appeared from behind a tree, a long, dark shadow trailing the earth, from him to her.

"This is troublesome, but…"

Hinata struggled as shadow arms crawled up her torso and started to strangle her. Ino rounded back to the clearing, giving Hinata a mocking grin.

"Argh!"

Hinata was abruptly released from Shikamaru's technique as he collapsed to the ground, his limbs trembling. With her byakugan, she didn't have to look to see Sasuke standing a few paces behind her shoulder, electricity dancing along his left arm.

Ino paled and began to retreat, but Hinata thrust out her palms. "Hakke hasengeki!"

Ino was flung back in a gale of leaves before slamming into a tree, and collapsing on her front.

"Hinata!" said Kiba, as he and Shino appeared, both looking winded. Kiba's concerned expression fell as he looked around the clearing. "Hey, save some for the rest of us," he groused.

The Uchiha ignored him. "All that leaves is Neji."

"We got him," said Naruto as he entered the clearing with Sakura, carrying the prodigy's lifeless form over his shoulder. He thrust him down in front of Sasuke like a hunting spoil. It looked as though they had stabbed him with a variety of pointy tree branches, and Sasuke was not sure that he wasn't dead. The corner of his mouth twitched. "Let's head for the tower."

"Shannaro!"

"Hell yeah!"

Team seven led the way, with team eight trailing after them, looking a little unnerved.

When they all reached the tower only a short while later, Naruto and Sakura started furiously making out as Sasuke, Hinata, Kiba, and Shino blankly watched. Sasuke and Hinata glanced at each other, then looked away again. It had been so long since they had been allowed to go to town on their fellow rookies, and the adrenaline was getting to everyone.

* * *

That night Sasuke found a spare waterstone in one of the kitchen drawers. He unsheathed his chokuto and laid it across the table as he sat down, then noticed Hinata sitting opposite him, strangely lingering.

"I'm staying up," he said. He was still getting accustomed to living with another person, someone with who he shared a bedroom.

"Oh," she said, biting her bottom lip. "Ano…Sasuke?"

"Un?" He ran his finger along the waterstone, examining the texture. He then lifted his sword.

"Do you…do you want to…?"

Sasuke glanced at Hinata, who was wearing a blush as she watched him. Her boldness had begun to surprise him in recent days, and there was no doubt he wanted to, but… "My chokuto is getting dull, I was going to–"

"Oh." Hinata looked down, seeming crestfallen. She stood up to reveal she was wearing just one of his shirts she had wrapped around herself like a haori. It was one of the white ones, and it fell to her thighs, with nothing to close it in the front but her folded arms. It did a bad job of concealing her naked body. As Hinata turned, his eyes lingered on the Uchiha fan on her back.

He could not tell if she was manipulating him, or if she wasn't even trying, he just knew his mind had done a 180. "Okay," he said, unceremoniously dropping his sword.

"What?"

He stood and closed their distance, scooping her up. "Let's–"

"Mmm," Hinata agreed, kissing him as he carried her off.

* * *

The next day when everyone arrived for the second part of the training exercise, they were all rather disheveled, but for differing reasons. The members of team ten and twelve had all been healed, but still looked reluctant about being there. Chouji's terrified eyes were darting about wildly whilst avoiding Naruto's, and Sasuke could hardly contain his smirk.

"Today's exercise will have the same rules, but with teams seven and twelve against teams eight and ten," said Anko.

Everyone froze at this. Sasuke glanced from Naruto's murderous eyes, to the opposing team's incredibly underwhelming appeal. This couldn't be fair.

The gates opened and Anko stepped aside. "Begin!"

When both teams got inside, Sasuke watched as their opponents darted off, as they had the day before. He coughed. "So let's make camp, and-"

"LET'S FINISH THEM!" Naruto screamed, ripping apart his shirt, as he had already ruined his jacket the day before.

Sasuke tackled him to the ground before he could dart off.

"_What the hell, teme?_"

The group circled around them, casting Sasuke suspicious looks.

"Let's try to use some tact this time."

"What are you talking about, _this is too easy_."

Sasuke thought fast. "Do you really think that's what the examiners are looking for?"

"He does have a point," said Sakura, thoughtfully resting her chin on her knuckles.

Sasuke finally released Naruto, who sat up, huffing. "Fine – whatever. What do you propose we do?"

The group thought for a moment.

"A little undercover work might be fun," suggested Tenten.

* * *

"So Hinata-chan, what do you say we head into those bushes and…" Kiba wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Hinata stared at him in shock. "K-Kiba-kun, why are you acting so strangely?"

"Well I just thought…dattebayo…" Kiba was cut off as Shino violently backhanded him, knocking him down.

Hinata stared oddly at them, veins rising on her temples. _Oh, _she thought. _Naruto and Sasuke. _The three stared at one another, each knowing she had blown their cover. Hinata was left with no choice but to out them, otherwise it would look as though she was betraying her team. "Imposters!" she yelled.

As her group mates fled at seeing Kiba and Shino turn into Naruto and Sasuke, the blonde lunged for Hinata, but accidentally tripped on a garden snake, and fell down. Hinata disappeared into the trees as Naruto groaned and Sasuke pretended to fumble with his sword. This definitely was not turning out to be as fun as it had been the day before.

When Naruto and Sasuke regrouped with the others, the Uchiha took the liberty of naming them team Neko, since he was kind of in a cat mood, but was still a little indecisive, so was open to changing the name later.

"We have no clue where they went." Naruto sat on the unconscious Kiba's back.

"They're out of range." Neji smirked, his byakugan activated. "They must be running for their lives."

"What now?" said Lee, petting a squirrel.

"How about some coercion?" suggested Sakura. She winked at Sasuke.

Sasuke was not interested in the idea at all, but Naruto's eyes lit up.

"That's right, you can sense Hinata's chakra, ne? So you can find her and get her to give up her team."

Sasuke glared at Sakura. "Hinata isn't that easy to sway."

But the group was grinning, and the cameras were rolling, so Sasuke had no choice but to abide.

* * *

"Hinata-chan," he said in an extremely strained and suspicious way.

She jumped. "S-Sasuke, what are you doing here?"

She had been leaning over some medicinal plants. Sasuke scanned her for injury, but she seemed to be fine. Maybe another member of her group had gotten hurt.

"I needed to see you," he said as indifferently as he possibly could, but she still blushed, and his cheek twitched.

"But e-everyone's watching."

"No, this spot is safe," he lied. "Trust me." He didn't know why he leaned down and kissed her; maybe he was just taking advantage of the situation. "Where is the rest of your group?"

"By the lake," Hinata responded with no hesitation, thus causing his cheek to twitch again. She then grabbed his arms and pushed him several feet back to his confusion. "And _this _is the blind spot," she told him, tapping her temple to remind him she knew where all the hidden cameras were. The two fell into a strange silence as she stared at him in a way that made his pants feel uncomfortable.

He didn't know what had gotten into Hinata lately; it must have been hormones or something. "Neko! Go!" he snarled, grabbing her shoulders before she could attack him (with kisses). "The lake!"

As his team darted out of the trees, Sasuke started after them, when he noticed Neji going for Hinata, who had barely regained her composure. Just before Neji's jyuuken could connect with her chest, Sasuke materialized in front of her, blocking the attack. He grabbed Neji by the front of his shirt and slammed him into a tree. _"Don't touch her."_

Sasuke noticed how thinly he was breathing only after he saw the amused expression that crossed Neji's face. His eyes turning from red to black, Sasuke released him and turned around, only to find that Hinata was gone.

* * *

"They _weren't _by the lake. The only thing there was the giant squid," growled Naruto, who was covered in suction bruises.

Sakura had marks around her neck from where a tentacle had attempted to strangle her, and Lee was half-drowned, at present, knelt on the ground coughing up mouthfuls of water.

"Hn," said Sasuke, eying them all with distaste.

Sakura restrained Naruto before he could attack him ("Stop it, Sakura-chan, he _has_ to die!"), and Sasuke declared that they should set up camp for the evening, as it was getting late.

The group began to gather firewood and set up their tents, during which they threw Sasuke dirty looks and rude hand gestures. Sasuke overheard Lee and Tenten muttering about espionage, and was not sure if he qualified as a spy. In theory, his loyalty should have been with his group mates, however, he would have been completely fine if the giant squid had eaten them all.

As the others rubbed twigs together with their inferior elements, Sasuke went off to find an animal they could cook for dinner. Several minutes into tracking, he closed in on a giant deer, but found his chokuto was too dull to penetrate the animal's soft fur. _How long have I put off sharpening my sword? _he wondered, staring at the weapon.

Sasuke paused when he sensed Hinata's chakra nearby. He looked around to ensure that none of his group members were near, before discreetly continuing through the foliage until he found her in a clearing a few kilometers away. He was surprised when she turned to face him.

"Do you like it?"

Even if he _did_ like the apparel, that was irrelevant. He was more concerned about what Kiba and Shino liked. Sasuke blankly stared at the shorts, leg guards, and midriff top she was wearing under her open jacket. Hinata was usually self-conscious. In the past, she would have never considered unzipping her jacket, let alone exposing her legs, breasts, and abdomen. She was really becoming confident, _too confident, _Sasuke decided. He grit his teeth. "Where are your clothes?"

Hinata shrugged. "They were getting caught on everything, so-"

"You took them off."

She frowned. "What are you saying?"

"Here, you can have mine." Sasuke hastily began to pull off his shirt.

"No – I –" Hinata backed away, but Sasuke cornered her, and a struggle ensued against a tree as he tried to force her to put on his clothes, though only seeming to yield counterproductive results. If anyone walked by, they would be baffled by the sight of the two of them.

After a few non-productive moments of this, Sasuke gave up and glared at her. The heiress was flushed and huffing, appearing just as peeved as he was. Her jacket had come off, a strap of her top having slid off her shoulder, which, in turn, had caused it to slip lower on her chest, exposing more of her…generous…cleavage. Sasuke unconsciously stared.

"Sasuke…" she mumbled, not bothering to fix her top. Sasuke was suddenly very conscious of their close proximity. Even then, her eyes flitted down, causing her long lashes to sweep against her cheeks. He didn't understand how she could still be self-conscious around him, though it probably didn't help that he was staring so much. Sasuke looked away from her, instead raising his eyes to the canopy of leaves above them. Dark green, almost black. "Your chakra is different somehow…" he mused absently. He inhaled as she closed the inches between them. "Is this…another blind spot?"

As Hinata looked back up at him, and he looked down at her, both dismissed the possibility that they were on camera, and immediately began to make out. They lowered to the ground in a seated position, Hinata in his lap, straddling him. Sasuke pulled her legs around him, pulled her closer, until her body was pressed to his chest. She deeply breathed as he kissed her throat, her shoulder, then her collar. Sasuke sucked the skin there, knowing that if he left a mark, she would have to cover herself up.

* * *

"Oi, Sasuke!"

When Sasuke regained consciousness, he was curled up on the ground, naked, except for what appeared to be…Hinata's jacket…which was draped over his hips. He abruptly sat up, his sharingan activating and his chest heaving. If Hinata's jacket was with _him_, that meant it was not on _her, _meaning she was even more exposed than she had been before.

Looking down, Sasuke regarded his own lack of clothing. In fact, his clothes were nowhere in sight. Again, his eyes shifted to the jacket. Was this her way of taunting him?

"Sasuke!?"

He belatedly noticed Naruto standing over him, looking especially crazed that morning. "Where the hell is your stuff? Where's the scroll? _Where are your clothes!?_"

"I…" Sasuke rubbed his hair, his mind foggy from orgasm. "What?"

"TEME!"

* * *

"They're this way," said Sasuke, an hour later, a murderous look in his eyes. His neck was sore from Naruto's efforts to strangle him. "Let's finish them."

Team Neko burst into their opponent's camp where Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji were standing together, and appeared to be discussing something. At seeing them, the six of them paled, mostly at the sight of Sasuke wearing one of Naruto's orange jumpsuits. Hinata quickly clutched her nose.

His hand twitching, Sasuke reached down for his chokuto, only to realize it was hanging from Hinata's waist.

"We're stronger than you, why are you beating us!?" Naruto screeched, flailing his arms.

Shino, of all people, released a laugh. "Don't you know? This is our territory."

Kiba pointed at something above them. "Chakra leeches," he mentioned.

As if on cue, giant leeches suddenly showered down on team Neko, and their efforts to dodge only made them realize they were caught in Shikamaru's shadow technique. Lee released a high-pitched scream as a leech crawled up his face. When Shikamaru relinquished his technique, they all ran around in a disorderly mess, Neji and Sakura crashing into each other, and Naruto collapsing beneath a pile of the slimy, wriggling creatures. Struggling to get two off his back, Sasuke walked into a tree. The last thing he saw was an evil smile gracing Hinata's face before he was consumed by darkness.


	8. Sunset

**Author's Note:** Sorry guys, I thought this chapter was done, but then I realized I wanted to change some things, which I just didn't have the time to do last week. So, sorry. I wasn't just being a meanie. Anways, I hope you enjoy the chapter. :)

**The Hyuuga Curse 2**

By Bullwinkle's Lady

**Chapter 8**

Sasuke lifted his eyelids and stared at the unfamiliar ceiling.

"I'm – sorry."

Sasuke threw a glance at Hinata, who was seated in the chair beside his hospital bed. Her hands were knotted together, and her eyes were downcast. She snuck a glance at him. "We beat you," she whispered.

_You brutalized us,_ Sasuke mused. He tried to figure out when she had become so devious, but no amount of deliberation rationalized Hinata's behavior. She nipped her bottom lip, and she could not have looked more innocent.

"I underestimated you," Sasuke said.

The corner of her mouth lifted slightly, but she said nothing.

"Chakra leeches," Sasuke muttered to himself. He turned his eyes back to the ceiling, but closed them as Hinata leaned over and pressed her lips against his. Though she pulled back, her long hair continued to tickle his throat.

"Let's go." She smiled.

* * *

The group hesitated, and walked outside in the generic whites and grays the hospital had provided. They were shocked by the crowd that awaited them outside. Even though they had lost, they got the treatment of winners.

"Shannaro!" the crowd cheered, causing Sakura to blush. Things had really gotten crazy back in the forest.

"You kicked ass!" yelled a little boy, causing Naruto to flinch in fear. "Rawrr!" The boy attempted to tear off his shirt in an effort to imitate the blonde's antics in the forest. Naruto uncoiled, then chuckled as he ruffled the kid's hair.

"When you kissed her in the forest was the cutest thing ever," said a tearful young kunoichi to Sasuke and Hinata. "Are you a couple in real life?"

_Real life?_ Sasuke thought in confusion. Hinata wearily smiled, and thanked the genin. She suddenly seemed very tired, so Sasuke grabbed her hand, and pulled her out of the crowd. "What is it?"

"It's…ano…I don't know." Hinata did not elaborate, she just yawned into her hand and he wondered if she was coming down with something.

"Let's sleep," he said, offering her his hand.

Weakly smiling, Hinata agreed.

* * *

Hyuuga Hanabi was not a happy fourteen-year-old. As the days went by, she seemed to grow only more furious. Chaos followed her every step; plants wilted in her wake.

She was angry with her sister's lack of interest in their clan. The fact that Hinata had chosen to _toy _with the Hyuuga by neither accepting nor declining the title was unacceptable.

If Hinata did not want to be clan head, then so be it, but if Hinata wished to lead the clan, then she should have claimed her title on her eighteenth birthday. Hanabi, herself, would be inducted into the branch house, but _at least _she would know her fate already.

And so, Hanabi decided it was due time to confront her elder sister. She had heard that Hinata had been spending most of her time at Uchiha Sasuke's house, so, the morning after the training exercise, Hanabi burst through the front door and stomped inside, unconcerned that she was breaking and entering.

Uchiha Sasuke was standing against a kitchen counter looking over a mission scroll. She slowly lowered it to stare at her.

"Where's Hinata?" demanded Hanabi.

No response.

"Where's my sister!?"

Still...nothing.

Hanabi felt unnerved by the Uchiha's silence. In a strange and singular act, her gaze shifted to the floor, but then quickly snapped up again, veins forming on her temples.

"You're afraid," he said blankly.

"No I'm–" Hanabi made the mistake of blinking, and the Uchiha was suddenly standing right in front of her. He raised his hand and moved it towards her throat.

"Hanabi?"

Hanabi swallowed as Sasuke rested his hand on her shoulder. Hinata stood in the doorway, wearing just an oversized shirt, and Hanabi's mind was far too muddled to make sense the situation.

Shoving Sasuke's hand off her shoulder, she stomped over to Hinata. "I'm tired of waiting. What's your answer?"

Hinata frowned, fully aware of what her sister was talking about. "I was given a month to decide. It's only been–"

In an instant Hanabi shot forth. Hinata diverted the jyuuken attack, and slapped her across the face.

Hanabi held her cheek in shock for a moment, before delivering a gentle fist to Hinata's abdomen.

_Aggressive, _Sasuke mused. He took a sip of tea.

As the heiress folded her arms over herself, collapsing in a heap behind the counter, Hanabi huffed and stormed off. Sasuke heard the front door slam shut behind her. He lowered his cup and walked around the counter, crouching down to where Hinata was curled on the floor, trembling.

"Why did you let her hit you?" he wanted to know.

"With me and Hana, it's just…sibling rivalry," Hinata managed. "She would never…hurt me."

"Hn." Sasuke surveyed her. All appearances suggested the contrary. "How do you feel?"

"Like I'm going to be sick," she managed, arms still folded over her stomach, and she _did _look nauseous.

_That wasn't a strong attack, _Sasuke mused. "C'mon." He helped her get up, and she leaned on the counter, taking in deep breaths, like the concept of throwing up was really just that awful.

He offered her his tea, but she shook her head, declining. At the sound of a bird call outside, both glanced at the window to see a mission hawk circling the house. Sasuke did not know which one of them it was for.

"I'll go," he said. "I'll tell Tsunade that you're not–"

"It's – okay. I'm fine. I'll just – get dressed." Hinata released the counter and walked toward the bedroom, still looking ill.

When they got outside, the air seemed to help relieve her nausea. By the time they got to the Hokage tower, she seemed fine again.

As they entered the Hokage's office, Tsunade looked up at them. She shoved aside her paperwork and held up a scroll. "You two are _married_!?"

"Un," said Sasuke, wondering if Tsunade wasn't the last to know.

"We are," said Hinata, shrinking under the Hokage's judgmental stare.

Sasuke noticed this, and grew irritated by it. He decided Tsunade deserved a treat for her efforts, so he pulled Hinata against him, much like a rag doll. "We're married."

Hinata did not back down from the challenge. She wrapped her arms around Sasuke's torso and squeezed him so tightly it suddenly seemed _he _was the uncomfortable one. "For months now," she said.

Tsunade was left dumbstruck, her jaw hanging slack. Innocent little Hinata – _squeezing the Uchiha so tightly that he was wincing? _Horny teenage man-whores_ seducing cute little heirs!_ It just wasn't right! Tsunade slammed her fist onto her desk. "WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU GET MARRIED?"

_Why?_

"I love him," Hinata said, blushing.

Sasuke smirked. "I love you too."

This was too much for the Hokage to handle. Her eyes went cross as she thought, desperately, _This is just a dream...I am most definitely dreaming..._

"Is this the only reason we're here?" Sasuke said in annoyance as he and Hinata broke away from each other.

Tsunade snapped out of her daze. "You watch it, Uchiha. You're lucky I didn't demote you after all the shenanigans you pulled in the forest of death."

He eyed the contract squeezed in her hand. "And how did you get that?"

"When I heard the rumors, I summoned it." She held out the marriage scroll and Sasuke accepted it from her. Her eyes shifted to Hinata. "You are both shinobi, and I should have been notified. There was obviously a conflict of interest during your training exercise the other day."

"There were _no_ conflicts of interest," said Sasuke, lying. "Do you have a mission for one of us?"

The Hokage glared at them for a moment, then sighed, and nodded. From her desk, she withdrew two scrolls, handing one to each of them. "A mission for you. An assignment for Hinata."

The heiress blinked at this. "Assignment?"

* * *

Hanabi would no longer tolerate her jounin sensei. Rock Lee was too annoying to stand anymore.

She decided she would train on her own from now on – it was better that way. Most jounin were too old_, _too foolish, or too laid back. A lot of them just didn't care about genin, and used them as shields during missions. Others cherished their subordinates, yet perused training techniques that were antiquated. Hanabi's only interest was in fighting, not _kicking logs_ until her leg turned blue. What could Lee teach her anyway? He couldn't even use _ninjutsu._

Tsunade had summoned her for reassignment, but she wasn't falling for _that_, and decided not to show. Who would it be next? A medical nin like Haruno Sakura? Yamanaka Ino, whose only talents were in mind techniques? The lazy Nara, or the weird bug guy? Tenten already had students, and _she _wasn't special either. Hanabi had quickly come to realize that none of the available jounin were compatible with her.

She was a _Hyuuga, _and refused to train with anyone _but _a Hyuuga. The one person she truly needed had disregarded her pleas.

Hyuuga Neji was in the ANBU, and had no interest in her training.

Hanabi climbed into bed and fell asleep on these thoughts. She awoke shortly afterwards to meet crimson eyes.

They had three additional pupils that slowly rotated around the first. Hanabi absently watched them for a moment, before her own white pupils rolled upward, and she fell into a catatonic state.

"Thanks for coming," Hinata whispered.

"Couldn't you have done this on your own?" Sasuke asked.

"I don't know that kind of genjutsu."

"Then next time use a rock."

The two grabbed each of Hanabi's shoulders and dragged her unceremoniously out of the bed. Hinata's hand slipped and the girl's limp body hit the floor with a dull thud. Neither had ever kidnapped anyone before.

"How was your mission?" Hinata asked as they continued to unceremoniously drag Hanabi. It was her first time seeing Sasuke in three days.

Sasuke held the window open. "Fine," he responded. "Should I take her?"

"I have her," Hinata said, climbing onto the windowsill while balancing her sister in her arms.

"Are you sure?"

Hinata leapt from the windowsill, landing cleanly on the ground ten feet below. Sasuke followed suit, and the two lingered on the ground in the shadows of the large house.

"Do you think anyone saw us?" whispered Hinata.

"I don't think anyone cares," Sasuke responded.

Hinata raised her eyebrows. "You must be really tired."

"Why do you think that?"

"You're being cranky," she smiled, enjoying as he peered at her.

Sasuke offered his arms to take Hanabi, but Hinata propped her on her back and continued to move along the shadows. Sasuke trailed after her. "You're right. I am tired."

When they got to his house, Sasuke headed to the bedroom, only after breaking his genjutsu and advising Hinata not to get beaten up again. The heiress frowned down at her sister, who she had lain across the couch. She was beginning to regain consciousness. _What should I do? What will I say? _Hinata wondered, biting her bottom lip. What type of approach was she to make? Kind? Approachable?

But when had that ever worked with Hanabi?

Before Hinata knew it, she had drawn a kunai from her weapons holster. "Don't move." The blade caressed her sister's jugular.

Hanabi froze as she stared up at Hinata with wide, shocked eyes. "Are you insane?" Byakugan activating, Hanabi eyes darted around the dark living room. Cautiously, she attempted to sit up, knowing her sister would never dare to cut her.

Hinata pressed one of her hands down on Hanabi's shoulder. With the other, she tightened her grip on the weapon and pushed it forward. A small trickle of blood glided down Hanabi's neck.

"I'm your new sensei." Hinata watched Hanabi cringe in pain, but felt strangely unaffected. "And I said not to move."

Both girls remained silent for a moment, simply staring at each other.

"Tsunade told you to kidnap me?" Hanabi hissed after a while.

Hinata felt heat rise to her cheeks. "No." _That was _my_ idea._

"Where am I?"

"Sasuke's house."

The younger girl huffed. "I'm not surprised. You're practically _living here._"

Hinata was surprised by this remark. _She doesn't know?_

"What do you plan to do, _neesan_," Hanabi continued. "You can't expect to keep me here." Hanabi released a cry of protest as Hinata climbed on top of her, still carefully holding the blade against her throat.

"I do," Hinata assured her.

"For how long?"

"Until you respect me."

Hanabi could only stare. This was not the shy, timid Hinata she had grown up with. "You're squishing me," she said dejectedly.

"Close your eyes," Hinata whispered.

* * *

Sasuke walked into the living room the next morning, spotting Hinata and Hanabi asleep on the couch. They had somehow become a mass of tangled limbs, a bloody kunai lying on the ground before them."Hn,"he mused, walking into the kitchen.

Only a short while later did he hear a thud and a curse coming from the next room. As Sasuke bit into a rice ball, Hanabi and Hinata walked in, or rather...Hanabi was shoved into the kitchen by Hinata. Sasuke stared at them, the chunk of rice in his cheek momentarily forgotten.

"Good morning," Hinata said to him.

"Morning," Sasuke responded robotically as he watched Hinata shove Hanabi in a chair.

Giving her sister one more threatening look, Hinata released her and joined Sasuke by the counter, taking the rice ball from his hands and taking a bite.

As the two watched each other in a strange, fixated way, Hanabi found the whole thing to be _fucking insane_.She was being held hostage by her sister at Uchiha Sasuke's house. When had Hinata gotten so bold? Was this _his _doing?

"Do you mind if I take a shower?" said Hinata, returning his breakfast to his hands.

Sasuke had not realized what this request entailed until after he had already said, "Go ahead."

_Guard duty._

As Hinata walked off, Hanabi clenched her fists, wondering what the Uchiha would do if she tried to leave.

Sasuke noticed all of the glaring. He had originally been unkind towards her, though mostly to counter Hinata's abundance of warmth that she did not deserve. Now that Hinata had decided to be the mean one, he was at a loss of what to say. So instead of saying anything, he went to the refrigerator, pulled out a riceball, placed it in her hands, and returned to the counter, where he continued to watch her watching him eat.

Minutes passed, and they continued to stare, Hanabi looking venomous, until reluctantly lifting the riceball and taking a bite. She lowered it again, grimacing at the taste of tomatoes, before starting to gag.

Sasuke glanced at the clock as he finished his own meal. Hinata was taking too long in the shower, and he had to report for a mission with the Nara before noon. In addition to that, he had barely spent any time with Hinata since returning from his last mission the previous night because of the whole kidnapping affair. Figuring he could kill two birds with one stone, he walked out of the kitchen to join Hinata, ignoring Hanabi as she glared.

Hanabi was confused by Sasuke's abrupt departure. He disappeared through a door at the end of the corridor, the one she was sure she had seen Hinata go through several moments earlier. Hanabi walked into the living room and along the hallway, until she reached what seemed to be the bathroom door. Beyond the sound of the shower running, she heard a giggle that was unmistakably Hinata's, and then she heard Sasuke's gruff voice.

Several moments passed that were soon decorated with…moaning sounds? It sounded like Hinata was in distress! Hanabi tensed, but soon the moaning yielded to grunting; rhythmic, synchronized sounds, the Uchiha's low ones and her sister's high ones, that remained strangely consistent for a long time, until gradually beginning to raise in pitch and volume and length, and it was only then that Hanabi realized–

_They're having sex. _Her face turning scarlet, she panicked, and fled the house.

**Part 2**

That afternoon, Hinata arrived to the Hyuuga house and coerced Hanabi to come training with her under the threat that she would use another genjutsu technique on her if she didn't. Hanabi, oblivious to the fact that Hinata had no such talent, quickly agreed, though not meeting her sister's eyes.

As they walked to the training grounds, Hinata felt impressed by her progress with Hanabi. The younger girl seemed shaky and nervous, but was obedient towards her that afternoon.

Hinata watched as Hanabi twirled a senbon between her fingers, trying to look nonchalant, though she still seemed awkward. With a swift thrust of her arm, she shot the senbon forward, and…nowhere near the straw dummy she was aiming for. "I don't see the point of this," said Hanabi, throwing another weapon, and missing again. She didn't even seem ashamed of her bad aim.

"Hana – try to focus."

"I am Hyuuga." Senbon after senbon was pitched into bushes and trees, striking everything but the dummy.

Hinata rubbed her temple, nursing a headache. Her sister was a family prodigy, but had little talent for the basics. "What about long-range fights? Like when you're fighting nin with swords?"

Hanabi pressed her lips, but said nothing. She had strangely not looked at Hinata all afternoon. Hinata wondered if she was still angry about the events of the previous night and that morning.

"What are you distracted about?" Hinata asked, with gentleness instead of sternness, unable to help her disposition towards peace and resolution, even _if _it would make things harder for her in the long run.

The whistles of senbon in air halted. Hanabi grinded her teeth. "I…heard you," she admitted.

Hinata was confused. "Heard what?"

Hanabi finally turned to face her, wearing a queer expression. "You – and the Uchiha – I heard you having sex."

"_What?"_

"You and him – _in the shower._"

Hinata's face colored. It was her turn to avert her eyes. "Oh, um…" She tried to maintain her composure. She was Hanabi's new _sensei,_ and needed to command her respect, even in this horrifying scenario. "S-Sasuke-kun and I l-love each other – very much."

Hanabi looked queasy, so Hinata tried another angle.

"It's p-perfectly h-healthy, and n-natural, and I'm sure y-you'll try it yourself one day, and– "

But this did not seem to be helping. Looking disturbed, Hanabi reddened and went back to haphazardly flinging senbon, while Hinata breathed and tried to regain herself. Feeling weak, she sat down at the base of a tree, by her backpack.

"What's it like?"

Though it had been quietly said, Hinata heard the query, and was astonished by her sister's audacity. In fact, she wanted to pretend she had not heard it at all, but knew she couldn't if she did not want to lose her authority.

So with her blush deepening, and her temple beginning to sweat, she managed, "Ano…" And as she tried to articulate her thoughts, she only blushed more, knowing she could not tell Hanabi how wonderful it was, how her back arched and her toes curled, how she maybe, secretly liked sex even more than Sasuke did. "It's…okay," she said furtively.

Hanabi threw her a glance, but then looked away again, finally seeming to drop the subject. Her senbon-throwing became a little more diligent, and she activated the byakugan, as though this would make her target less evasive. With her increased vision range, she saw as Hinata pulled something out of her backpack, taking a large bite. Hanabi wrinkled her nose. "Are you eating a tomato?"

"Un."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I like them now."

Hanabi drew back her arm and pitched one more senbon. She sighed in relief as it connected with the dummy's leg. "There," she said, turning to Hinata, whose cheek was full of tomato. "I'm…going home." With that, Hanabi stalked off.

As she departed, birds fled, plants wilted, and Hinata sighed. She could tell from that moment that training Hanabi would be quite an ordeal.

* * *

Hinata and Hanabi were reunited the next day for a mission in the Earth country.

They were to escort a young girl into Iwagakure. Her name was Mai, and she had long blonde hair and brown eyes. Her arms and legs were covered with unusual markings, and Hinata could only assume her to be a member of a shinobi clan. Mai was about Hanabi's age. Unfortunately however, Hanabi had little patience for children her own age.

"Will you shut up," Hanabi snapped, after the second time Mai voiced her excitement in going home.

Hinata felt too weary to get involved. The dirt road they were on was flanked by the forest, leaving them vulnerable to other shinobi on both sides. Ignoring the banter, Hinata listened to the trees for any unnatural rustles.

"The sunset is gorgeous," declared Mai, looking into the sky with all the wonder and optimism Hanabi would never embody.

The younger Hyuuga clenched her fists. "For the last time–!"

Something hard came down on the back of Hinata's skull. She watched bright white stars burst into her field of vision as wooden arms lifted her in a bridal carry.

A puppet.

She was suddenly flying through the forest in its clacking arms. She attempted to free herself, but its hold on her was strong. Through the throbbing pain in her skull, Hinata could hear her sister pursuing them. She searched for the puppet's chakra strings and saw that they were coming from the opposite direction.

_I'm not the target._

With all her strength, Hinata raised her elbow and smashed it down on the puppet's head. Though its skull was crushed under the blow, it continued to cart her off through the woods. "Hana..." Hinata struggled, black splotches obscuring her vision. "Hanabi, go back!"

The chakra strings suddenly went slack, and the puppet crumpled to the ground. Hinata shoved it off her and climbed to her feet just as Hanabi reached her side.

_No... _Hinata thought, as she pushed passed her sister and headed back to the road, ignoring the forest as it scratched her skin and ripped at her clothes. As she made it back to the road, she saw Mai's body sprawled on the path, and a dozen or so nin in gray cloaks standing over her, their fingers poised in techniques.

Hinata raced towards them, when several other shinobi swooped down, blocking her path. They wore the animal masks of ANBU operatives, but it was impossible to tell what village they were allied to. Hinata took a step back, but the newcomers did not seem interested in her. In a burst of action, they clashed with the cloaked figures, and Mai disappeared in the mass of bodies and weapons.

Hinata moved forward in hopes of slipping through the scuffle to get to Mai, when someone caught her arm and roughly jerked her back. Hinata looked up to find a crow mask glaring down at her. "No," was all he said. Hinata stared.

The crow was roughly shoved away as he blocked another nin's axe with his armguard. He kicked the nin back as he drew his sword.

Hinata's eyes darted about as she tried to figure out what was going on. A long-haired nin in a tiger mask was slashed across his abdomen before he collapsed to the ground. A female operative was stabbed above the collar bone, her trachea exposed. People died without discrimination to one side or the other. Hinata again attempted to get to her charge, when the blade of a kunai lashed out at her eyes. She barely managed to jerk back, before slashing her attacker's femoral artery.

The crowd thinned but the scuffle endured. Hearing a whistle of metal behind her, Hinata spun just in time to intercept the blade of a ninjato with two of her kunai. Her opponent lifted his weapon to attack again, when Hinata noticed something beyond his left shoulder.

Long black hair.

A small frame.

Hanabi was lying on her side in a pool of blood. Her eyes were partially open, and her body was still.

Hinata ducked to avoid the ninjato, losing several inches of her hair in the process. Her opponent snarled in pain as she planted a kunai in his hide. She caught his wrist as he lunged for her yet again. She burned it with her chakra until his hand relaxed and his weapon dropped. Only then did she have the chance to process what had happened.

"Hanabi!" She ran forward, but someone grabbed her by the hair, causing her to grunt in pain. Her back hitting a man's chest, her head was jerked back, so her throat was exposed. And it was from there that she saw that the ANBU operatives had been overcome. Only one remained – the crow from before. He was an adept fighter, but his opponents barely seemed to register their wounds. He took down one after the next, but they always got up again. He slashed two across the throats in one fluid swipe of his sword, before turning to strike a third, but a fourth came up behind him and planted two knives into his back. As the crow staggered, another blade was plunged into his heart. Hinata simply stared, her cheeks covered in the tears she had shed for Hanabi.

_A crow. Just like…Sasuke's mask._

As the crow collapsed, the world shuddered, like a handheld camera, and Hinata could hear her pulse pounding in her ears. Her mind blank, and lips wordless, she was oblivious of the knife in her captor's hand.

Not until it was raised, and jerked across her throat.


End file.
